Coaching in Analogies #14: The root-bound plant
Potted plants are not always easy to keep happy. It takes the right combination of light, watering and potting mix to make a container plant thrive — like creating a small ecosystem that nature can’t provide. Done right, you’ve got texture and color to indoor spaces, porches or balconies. Done wrong, you’ve got droopy leaves or “I’m just not good with plants.”
The size of the pot matters too. Get all of the other conditions right, and you’re likely to face a root-bound plant at some point. It’s stuck. Can’t grow any bigger, because its natural state of pushing outward has reached an artificial limit in the form of its plastic or ceramic container. The roots are growing through and around one another, and eventually won’t be able to absorb what the plant needs to continue thriving. If it suddenly seems to need more water every day, that’s a good clue. The attentive gardener then faces a choice.
You can untangle the root ball and trim some of it away. Perhaps some of the foliage too. If you’re careful, you’ll now have a happy potted plant again. Or you can invest in an even larger pot with even more soil and nutrients. Then you’re likely to have a happy, larger potted plant. Eventually, you’ll end up with a pot so large that it might be quite expensive — and require a friend to help you move it around.
It’s true that some plants thrive in root-bound conditions. It takes a little stress to get them to bloom, or the snugness of the container helps them grow. But this is the exception, not the rule.
In the working world, we’ve all come across unhappy potted plants from time to time. They’re among our co-workers, our team members and perhaps even ourselves. A careful leader notices that someone on the team seems to have become root-bound. A thoughtful conversation with that employee might reveal a desire for growth. If the person is looking for a larger, more complicated challenge, a promotion into a larger pot might be in order. The leader and the employee work together on the transition from individual contributor to new manager, for example.
But promotions aren’t for everyone, and neither is the craft of leading people. Sometimes the answer is to create better conditions within the existing container. The leader and employee might prune back some responsibilities or some old aspirations that just don’t fit the role anymore. The objective isn’t necessarily growth, but helping the person find more comfort and fulfillment in the space they already occupy.
Careful leaders don’t let members of their teams simply wither. If someone needs more attention than usual or seems to have droopy as a default state, it’s probably time to check on the size and shape of their pot.
Coaching questions:
What does development look like for each member of your team? How can you help them meet their aspirations?
As a leader, which obstacles to success can you remove for others?
Keith Williamson, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
