"If a flower is watered, it flourishes. If not, it shrivels up and dies."
One of the quirks of human nature is to always look for something that is being done wrong, rather than for what is being done right. For whatever reason, we can miss the steady, continuous success of our people, while noticing the one thing that they may need improvement in.
For the majority of healthy workers, I think we need to take a much more positive approach, as Branson encourages, and "water" our people rather than only noticing and commenting on that which will make them shrivel up and die.
Now I know there are exceptions to everything and everyone, but overall, this will work with the majority of our people.
Something that can even be worse than only noticing failures, is ignoring successes and jobs well done. People can even take the occasional corrective if they are being watered with remembrances of the things they've done well for the company. When this happens they don't even thing of being shown some shortcoming as a negative thing.
It's like any human being that is continually built up and encouraged, they will remember the praises far more than the occasional reminder or input about something that needs to be improved. They will receive it with minimal resistance if they are always encouraged and uplifted.
Watering with positive input and feedback creates the atmosphere where things that need to be improved will be accepted and responded to with eagerness and timeliness.
Watering our people is definitely worth the time and effort. It is probably more important than any other thing related to our people and the success of our businesses.
Other Richard Branson Resources:
Richard Branson's Virgin Success
Thoroughly postmodern billionaire
Richard Branson's latest adventure will take Virgin into space
Richard Branson - Life - Philanthropy - Money
Richard Branson, Business Personality
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