It is important to monitor every member of staff's progress in their development and to understand this it is probably best to think of them all as Sweet Peas.
Take Eric for example, he has been working in the warehouse for many years and nobody has taken any time or care with him, they simply planted him there are forgot all about him. After all they gave him an initial watering of appropriate welcomes, inductions and assurances that this is a great crowd to work with, oh and everyone is so nice.
Now step back and look at Eric with his granite features, stern unforgiving expression, body builders muscles and hard straight talkin' way and think of him as a Sweet Pea, a pastel purple Sweet Pea. But a word to the wise, don't let him find out that you are envisaging him as a Sweet Pea as it probably won't help your one on one relationship!
So why a Sweet Pea? Well this is a plant that you place in the ground as a small insignificant seedling. The first few days it just tries to survive its new environment then very slowly it spreads out little roots.Like all new employees it receives a lot of attention in the first few weeks but it is not long before the lazy gardener sees that it has 'taken' and leaves it to its own devises. This is a big mistake as the Sweet Pea has the potential to climb to the very top of the cane but first of all it requires a cane (a route plan of its career development) and then it needs to be informed that this cane actually exists.The earlier it is aware of the cane the sooner it can aspire to great heights within your company.
HOWEVER left to its own course of growth it will just lay flat on the ground with no obvious direction in a tangled mess. It will show no signs of really flowering and end up being in such a mess that you'd likely end up pulling it out of the ground and sending it packing to the compost bin labelling that one as a 'poor performer'!
Well the poor performer was YOU, the gardener or manager. Once you have planted your new employee into the ground don't forsake him or her, place a little string at the base of the canes for it to start training towards the canes, like little extra responsibilities of his own, even as simple as being in charge of the cleaning equipment or stationery cupboard. Ensure you have a Personal Development Programme (PDP) set up (the canes in the ground). Then ensure that he is given a copy of the PDP so he knows exactly what he needs to do to get to the top.
But it doesn't stop there as now you need to feed the plant, encourage it to grow with supplements like small extra training sessions directly aimed at its management skills.As it grows you will need to make regular reviews of its progress and at different 'Key Stages' you will need to help it by securing it to the frame work that you have set up and as it grows it will have the confidence to start putting its own feelers out, grabbing that frame work and heaving itself up the cane eventually blooming becoming a vibrant, confident, colourful plant creating a whole new vista in the group.
Sadly at this point it goes to seed and dies, still hay ho ehh!
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