A gardener’s general behavioural style is one of nurture for the plant (people focused) balanced with a strong desire to complete tasks and achieve results (the gardening calendar or “To Do” list). Focus too much on one or the other and both will suffer. Are you more Task or People focused? How flexible are you to focus on the task in hand or the needs of the people depending on the situation you are faced with?


You can’t just shout and push plants around and expect them to grow. The irate, forceful and bullying manager will get nowhere except for an Industrial Tribunal. The old style of managing performance is dead. People generally won’t tolerate a lack of respect and bullish tactics. They will leave you in the end (not the company). How would your plants describe you when you are under pressure or feeling stressed?


You can’t neglect your plants and expect them to thrive and do well. Some plants, like people are hardier than others and will be okay for a while but our basic motivations are to be needed, wanted and cared for –even in work! How cared for do your people feel? What do you say and do that shows you genuinely do care?


Gardeners need the skills and knowledge required to be successful –the accidental gardener –learn as you go along is not ideal but is a good way to learn. The capability to manage the various types and complexities of plants should really be developed before you become responsible for the plant. But how often do you see a manager get the people first and then the development to look after them later! The skills, knowledge and confidence to look after plants should be invested early on to avoid costly mistakes and disasters later. Do you get the training and development of capability the right way around? If not, then how much effort do you need to put in to catch up?


Successful gardeners have a passion and desire to improve their skills, do better and achieve more next time, month or season. The same should go for the next trading day, week, period or quarter. Do you demonstrate and ooze a passion for managing people? How engaged and energised are you in the day to day activities of self development? How would your plants describe your verbal and non verbal giveaways?


12 I Can Grow People - for blooming great results


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