Make Dirt - Grow People!

Let’s get our hands dirty and dig into SOIL! The soil in your People Garden is the “current culture” of your department.  Each person you plant there needs the soil to be conducive to growing and ultimately becoming their best possible self.

Culture/Soil is made up of many components and is something that must be enhanced and revitalized regularly.

SOIL Definition
The upper layer of earth in which plants grow, a black or dark brown material typically consisting of a mixture of organic remains, clay and rock particles

So, in essence we have a bunch of dead matter (old habits, old processes & procedures, failures etc.), sticky and impermeable substance (manager actions/decisions that help or hinder) and hard rock particles (corporate policy). WOW, that’s quite the MISH MASH!

ORGANIC REMAINS - Soil should be made up of 85% dead matter.  That means that getting rid of anything that doesn’t serve the person, company or goal gets axed. In reality, how often does THAT happen?  Not often enough, if you listen to all the people who complain about how things are done where they work.

Your job as a People Gardener is to be vigilant in listening to your team and eradicating ANYTHING that doesn’t serve the mandate of your department. By focusing on this you’re 85% of the way to creating phenomenal soil that will serve every person you plant in it.

CLAY - Sticky and impermeable sounds like it could be a really negative thing. However, let’s focus on the positive of these attributes.  Sticky, never forgets they serve their team, advocates to the end and doesn’t let themselves be deterred from finding a way to move forward.

ROCK PARTICLES - Corporate policy can have an impact and leaders need to speak up if the “particles” get too big/rigid and start messing with the soil/culture of their department.  Policies are often written or developed with no thought of the practical application in mind, so may need some attention.

COMPOST: is a great way to enhance and revitalize soil.  In your department that is adding in all of your experience, knowledge, attitude, skill, enthusiasm and joy.  Top dressing the soil regularly with compost makes sure it stays a great growing medium.

Culture is your responsibility. You manage, build, boost and enhance the culture by
WHAT YOU DO; HOW YOU DO IT AND WHAT YOU SAY; HOW YOU SAY IT!

Don’t wait for management to create or change the culture. 

You can start doing that TODAY, yourself!

Focus on creating a department culture that only serves to help, not hinder, growth of every person in it.

Now go have fun digging in the dirt, adding compost and creating awesome soil for your people to grow in.