Motivating Employees : Start Growing Orchids!

I have five potted orchids in my balcony. All five of them are growing exceptionally well. In fact, at the time of writing this article, three out of the five are beginning to flower again. Can you have control over the orchid ability to bloom? Not likely. You can try singing to them or say a prayer! What you can do is to provide the orchids the best environment to thrive. 

Just the right amount of sunshine each day, the right amount of water, and being placed in a location that the plant does not suffer permanent stress. You will also need to put some “orchid hormone” to boost the chances of the orchid to start flowering. You can do all of that; your orchids will still not want to bloom! 

The same goes for motivating employees as well. You don’t continue to put them into a “high stress” environment. You do that “occasionally” with the intent that they can see the challenges ahead. Some employees may not see that the climate may change in the coming months, and as supervisors, our job is to bring greater awareness to the team. Like the orchids, it is not 24/7 direct sunlight, or drowned (or dry them up) with too much water!

More like a “rubber band” where you stretched, and then let the individual have an ample “recovery period” to work on their gaps before the next review. You don’t do that every hour, and every day! Much like a potted orchid in direct sunlight the whole day, the orchid will eventually be dried up. Also, make sure that the tasks that you have given them match their capabilities. For example, you are not going to assign them to solve “world hunger,” which is an unreasonable expectation.

Some supervisors do this on a rotational basis. They don’t just focus on one individual all the time. They do it on “rotation” so that it ensures that the team is always “alert” and focused, as well as each individual will have the “ample time” to work on their gaps.

I sensed that my five potted Orchids are virtually smiling at me after each watering session. Employees need to be recognized and rewarded. Sometimes it is not just monetary rewards, but an email to the individual or group to acknowledge what they have done. 

For example, when I was a junior HR staff, I had to spend many weekends involved in wellness or D&D activities. After the end of the event, you don’t even get a handshake from some of your bosses (bonus if they even bother to show up!). 

I make sure that after every event, the most important thing before you leave the event hall is to acknowledge every member of the team who has contributed. A word of thanks and a handshake, and followed up with a thank you email to everyone. That is an expression of gratitude to work well done. 

Some bosses say a lot of beautiful things and are well-liked, but lacked of “personal touch”. Others are not good at flowery words, but they do it by their actions, e.g. treating their employees with gifts, threats (even ice creams), bringing them out for meals, year-end celebrations, etc. We need to appreciate that bosses, like employees, come in different shapes and sizes! 

I would instead work with a boss who will set aside time from their “busy schedule” to help me to grow rather than failed to develop me over the years. The worse bosses are those with sweet words, but you find yourself still doing the same job for years! I learned this from one of my former bosses. The real culprit is not the one who is tough on you, but the one who never did anything to progress your career. They take care of their own career, and when the time comes, leave the organization with a smile. 

Great leaders, long after they depart, the organization can continue growing from strengths to strengths. Weak leaders, after their departure, leave the organization in disarray and blamed everyone except their failure to build a great team.

After you have done all the above, there is an above-average chance that your employees will know that the leadership team have created a learning and growing environment that they can succeed in life. The operative word here is “life” and not just their “job”.

Start planting orchids. It is not only excellent stress management, but it also teaches you the delicateness of managing people. 

Have fun growing orchids!