I’m a rather new gardener, and an old friend who is a wonderful and accomplished gardener is my gardening mentor.  Whether it is planting, seed selection, watering, fertilizing to canning – he is on my speed dial.

What I like is he helps me anticipates, and likely saves me some headaches.  Recently he talked about not replanting tomatoes in the same location…his words…adjust the garden layout.   I couldn’t help but smile –it seems gardening is also a great analogy for work teams and environments.

1. Tending your garden – aids in production.  Get involved and engaged with staff.
2. Weeding is important – it allows the plants to grow strong.  Protect the work environment you want to develop in your team/company.
3. Rotten fruit should be removed.   Catch and correct bad behavior, and at times catch and release if the employee is unwilling to adjust.
4. Soil is key – and is a controllable.  The right moisture is important.  You’ll need sunshine –but you can’t control that.  Set the expectations, keep expectations clear and reinforced, and adjust when you need to.

Leadership bounty, can be watching people excel and grow in their skills.