Potted People (from 8/03/05) – In many offices they have planters with green plants in them to make the environment more pleasant. Sometimes the plants are fake, but sometimes they are real and need to be cared for. I once saw what appeared to be a full planter, but it was really a box with individual potted plants inside. Even though the plants were watered, eventually they had to be replaced because even though their leaves were able to grow, their roots weren’t.

Aren’t our employees a little bit like these plants? Because they are “our most important asset” we try to help them grow. But are we growing their leaves or growing their roots? We often give training that results in little more that a certificate to display at their desks. Other times we will go deep and pay for college and then watch that person leave and take their degree with them. So here is the question. What can you do for your employees that will develop both their leaves and their roots? These are things that will make them more effective employees and will make them more attached to the company. If you can do this, you will have productive employees (beautiful leaves) who are loyal to your company (strong roots).