To blossom or not...and the importance of the little things

Greetings, summer is here at last - the patio outside my office is adorned with pots of dappled colour! A quiet, consistent nurture has helped them be at their best—watering and weeding, checking for bugs, deadheading and pruning, and the odd feed. Regular acts of care that support their optimum flourishing.

This strikes me as similar to the attention to people needed in organisations if they are to thrive. The kind of support that isn’t big and showy, yet a real sign of genuine respect. Clean, safe environments, reasonable hours, decent pay, clear objectives, a positive culture, having a voice, and their boss’s appreciation for their efforts. These are not just insurance against the shocks of organisational life, they are essential if the organisation’s full potential is to bloom.

Consider the perspective of the sprout compelled to push out from the nutrient-rich kernel and make its way precariously to the sun, up through the dirt to begin a life over ground, and hopefully to bloom and blossom. It’s risky, leaving the comfortable dark cosiness of the seed to face many trials. You may know people who despite having great potential will, with their environment changing around them, seek to stay sheltered in their comfort zones. We all do it to some extent, especially if we’ve had a few knocks. In fact psychologists tell us that humans don’t like change. So if we are asking people in the organisation to change, it’s good to understand the impact this can have on them, and think carefully about the support needed.

Achieving organisational potential may rest more than we realise upon those quiet regular acts of care and on helping people to take brave steps beyond their comfort zone and face their private fears.

Indeed I’d say that inspiring staff to endure the discomfort of change, while caring for their wellbeing are the modest yet mighty siblings of having a compelling vision. Address all three and blossoming is sure to occur!

Sometimes what folk need is a nudge, a gentle push, a fresh perspective, new tools, or a kindly delivered observation. What they’d get from a good coach ;)