I grow orchids. I am a transplanted New Yorker, now in Florida, whose previous attempts to grow these exquisite creations of nature were stymied by the cold weather, the dry, artificial heat generated to fend off the cold weather, and my great and much admitted ignorance. My past orchid encounters were limited to seeing Dad present my Mom with a white box that, when opened, revealed a flamboyant purple orchid corsage. Whenever I visited a florist searching for one, I could only describe it as the “Mother’s Day” flower. Now, I impress friend and stranger alike by calling them by their “real” names – cattleyas.

Coffee mug in hand, I step out onto my lanai (that’s a screened-in cement patio for y’all north of the Mason-Dixon) to greet my orchids. Like a brood of children, they are the same and yet each one is different. Some require lots of direct sun with equal amounts of fussing, while others are happiest left to themselves. Many orchids can’t be contained, spitting their roots through the slats of their soilless wooden baskets.

Some continually produce blooms, while others require we wait patiently for a bi-annual bloom knowing that is very much worth the wait. None of them wear a watch, yet their blooming is always perfectly coordinated. When the intoxicating fragrance of the cattleyas fades, tall dendrobiums unfurl. Then, multiple stems of iridescent phaeleanopsis burst open. Ah, the beauty of well-timed teamwork!

I envisioned this blog/column to be about what I’ve observed and learned about the “care and feeding” of talent but where to start was a bit of a challenge. One morning, while tending to my "brood", the Aha! of how growing orchids and growing talent align crystallized for me.

What helps talent to bloom in an organization?
In my view, both talent and orchids require awareness, education and a plan of care.

Awareness: To properly care for my orchids, I need to know the type or genus of an orchid, along with the special nutrients, light requirements and watering patterns needed for optimal growth. I must also understand the “individuality” of each plant, even if the genus happens to be the same. With all due respect to Gertrude Stein, a phalaenopsis is not a phalaenopsis is not a phalaenopsis.

Each needs to be placed in the right spot at the right time so they can gain the most from the warmth of the Florida sun and from the mists that come from the sudden showers so common here. Similarly, those unique, one-of-a-kind people who produce what your clients buy – also known as your talent - require individualized attention and customized developmental opportunities that can bring valuable professional and personal growth.

Education: Talent requires that firm’s leadership, the ultimate source of talent “nourishment”, be educated on what organizational conditions will fuel growth. I move my orchids as light patterns shift to assure that what is needed for their ongoing development is available to them. Similarly, leadership must watch shifts in the business and carefully match talent moves to allow for maximum benefit.

Plan for care: Growing talent requires vigilance. This means that leadership is involved by being informed. Do you know who is ready for some new challenges? Are there those who have been presumably “growing” but still in the same organizational pot? Do yourself a favor. Pour a cup of coffee and step out on to your organizational “lanai” and look around. Review your talent landscape regularly. Access to developmental plans and work results can inform leaders on what is required to maintain a healthy business and to grow (and keep) talent.

A Cautionary Tale
I’ve lost some expensive orchids because I was unaware about what was happening to them. It wasn’t that they wouldn’t grow – they couldn’t. They were constrained, contained and, in some cases, contaminated to the point where their growth potential was limited.

There is one significant way in which talent and orchids are not at all alike. Sometimes, the best thing you can do for orchids is to leave them alone, after assuring that they have the basics. Not so much when it comes to talented people. Without goals, guidance and advocates, your talent can stop growing or caring about growth, and become open to being “repotted” – sorry, but the analogy stands true in this regard.

Without vigilance and frequent check-ins, your talent may believe that a fresh start on another lanai may be their only option.

Keep talking talent!
All the best,
Pat