As a neophyte gardener, I wanted to try lettuce this summer. Bought my 6 small butter lettuces; planted, watered and loved them.

They grew so fast and I didn’t attend to them like I should and several of them “jumped”. I guess it’s the lettuce version of going to seed. A fellow gardener told me they would not taste as good once they jump. She was right.

So… to add to my Lessons from my Garden from last year…

We have good intentions and usually start new projects with lots of enthusiasm, care and good tools.
Because of the strong start, progress happens quickly...maybe more than we anticipated.
We get distracted by other projects and don’t pay as close attention.
By the time we get back to the project with our full attention, it’s still active but turned out differently than we planned.

I think this jumping lettuce is a good metaphor for both professional and personal projects. With something brand new, we can not take our eyes off the ball no matter how good it may look on the outside. This happens a lot with new employees. They show so much promise but are they “growing” the way you need them to? Staying close, being watchful and letting them know you are there is what leads to a great start and proper maturation.

Want support on how to have make sure employees get off to a great start? Let’s talk.

amari@mosaicconsultingcoach.com

408-466-0604