Cultivating Top Performers Like You Cultivate Your Prize-Winning Tomatoes

This week, my tomato plants became teachers, sharing secrets to maximizing yields- in the garden and in the workplace. These unassuming plants are MASTERS of productivity….botanical powerhouses capable of transforming sunshine and water into a bountiful, delightful, edible goodness.

Recently life presented some unplanned circumstances that required my attention and my garden was suffering as a result. As a result, I had to face a multitude of weeds, unpruned branch weight, and chaotic growth in my garden. One of my bigger challenges: My tomato plants.

Tomatoes are strong, high yielders but much like high-performers in the workplace, without adequate support and attention, they’ll take on TOO MUCH growth-focused activity that they become scattered and vulnerable to collapsing under the weight of their own efforts.

A tale of two tomatoes:

An untamed tomato plant grows wildly, becoming a tangled mess. They sprawl across the ground, putting energy into a multitude of weak stems and tiny fruit. You’ll still harvest a few tomatoes, but they'll likely be smaller, scattered, and ripen unevenly. This is akin to high performers in a work environment without consistent attention and support. High performers have it in their nature to grow…it is embedded in their wiring and they are oozing with natural talent. But, without clear direction (sunlight), focused effort (pruning), and ongoing support (watering), they risk burnout, and their full potential becomes diluted or simply goes unrealized all together.

A cultivated tomato plant on the other hand is a picture of focused, controlled growth. Simply providing a trellis for support, we can guide its energy upwards, encouraging strong central stems. Performing consistent pruning removes unnecessary shoots, directing the plant's resources towards producing larger, healthier fruit. Regular watering ensures the plant has the hydration it needs to thrive.

Three tips to cultivating high-performing talent like you would prize-winning tomatoes:

• Provide clear direction and connection to “The Why”. This creates a framework for success (trellis) for our high performers motivating and connecting their energy to focused action.
• Timely, consistent coaching (pruning), ensures they’re adequately supported in removing obstacles and remaining focused on high-impact tasks.
• Ongoing recognition and support (watering) fuel their motivation and drive the expectational results you want and need out of them.

Your high performers are growing today with or without you. Don’t wait to engage them. Invest time and energy to help them flourish strong with high impact and yields.

Just like a tomato plant laden with delicious juicy fruit, every business leader desires a team overflowing with talent and achievement. But achieving consistent high yields requires more than just planting seeds and hoping for the best. Not sure where to start? Take some advice from our old friend Hootie (and his blowfish)...."With a little love, and some tenderness,".....

Let's Grow Some Discussion!!!

What are your thoughts on this approach? Please share YOUR experiences or tips on cultivating top talent in the comments below!

Happy Leading (and growing)!