There are literally hundreds of blog posts on The EO List now. They cover all sorts of subjects, but most fall in the “day-in-the-life” category. This is because as the maintainer of the site, I find it easiest to write in the first person. And given that I have a full-time job on top of keeping this website going, I need to be efficient in developing content. Also, as much as I want to share valuable information with fellow HR Professionals, I also find writing stories a bit therapeutic. I hope you all don’t mind. Today I did a search on the word “garden” on The EO List and found 6 entries. I must think there is some link between gardening and HR. And there is. In a blog post from September 2010 I wrote:

Yes, I enjoy myself when I’m gardening but in a sick and twisted way. I like the mindlessness of it. I can think about that challenge at work and I can pull a weed. I can talk to plants and they don’t talk back to me. I can prune a bush and no person or their family is impacted. Luckily for people I have this outlet with plants.

In about a month, I will have a new backyard deck. The existing one is thirty years old and falling down. The challenge is that in replacing the deck, I have massive reorganizing to do with regards to the planting beds. Last weekend I spent an entire day moving rocks and bushes, and then spent the past two days rebuilding a retaining wall. Yep, that was me knee-deep in mud slugging rocks from one place to another. Last week I wrote about glamour in HR and now I write about muck. In HR, there’s both. What is the connection between HR and gardening? For one thing, these sorts of activities require a lot of planning, and thinking ahead. What should you do first? Second? What do you need to do to save a plant when you dig it out and move it? Will it do better in a sunnier location? Substitute people for plants and you start to see how this fits. If you’re going to make an organizational change, you want the best people to survive and the weaker links to be severed. Every person has a place and a role to play. You have to build a sustainable structure. You can test out people issues in how you plant your garden. Think about this the next time you step outside to pick a weed. Perhaps you will find yourself with a new flower bed and 10 new ideas for the office.

Do you like the picture of the plant above?  If yes, go see my friend Susan’s cards at:  http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/susanjhughesdesign.