I was sitting on the patio on the weekend and looking at the garden. Looking beyond the greenery, I noticed many bees picking up the pollen from the variety of flower colours. Then I saw a number of dragonflies zooming around. I comment on this to my wife, Rafi, who said that she loved the fact that the garden was alive, not only with plants but also insect life. This was a sign that the garden was thriving and healthy.I got to thinking about our organisations. How many of us can say that they are thriving and healthy? I often see organisations that look healthy, as all the greenery is alive. But when we look deeper there are no insects.

Build it and they will come

What does that actually mean? We as the owners of the garden went out to the nursery, purchased all the fauna, and did the work in laying it out and planting in place. However, the insects, the bees and the dragonflies chose to be there.  They could have gone to any other garden, but they chose ours. They chose the garden as their natural instinct was that it was alive and a source of nourishment.When you look at the companies and organisations around you, how many of them are places that naturally attract talent? How many people come to work because they want to be in that environment, rather than coming to work because they have a job?

Become an aspiration

Many leadership groups in companies do a great job of organising the structure and making sure that every position is defined and filled. The question is, how many of them think beyond the organisational structure to making a company that is alive and healthy? A place where people want to come to work, and even go so far as to say that people aspire to work there.

Nurture your garden year-round

In Australia, we have been blessed with relatively low unemployment rates for many years. However, this does not mean everyone is employed in their ideal job in an amazing environment. In the microcosm of the West Australian environment, it has been tough over the past few years. The downturn in the mining “boom” left many people being made redundant and having to make significant changes to their lifestyle and spending habits. I acknowledge that it is not possible, all of the time, for people to make choices around employment that are necessarily the ideal choice for them. However, economic cycles are just that – cycles. Companies need to be investing in the health of the business even in lean times, to create the healthy and alive workplace that attracts the best people.The challenge for you is to step back and look at your organisation. How much is your company an attractant? How healthy and alive is the culture of the organisation?In the next few blogs, I will be exploring more on the subject of creating alive and healthy workplaces and attracting those who want to be there.I finish every blog with “why am I writing this?”The answer is BECAUSE –

• Because I want to share the ideas, stories, anecdotes and business tips and traps.
• Because I want to pay it forward.
• Because I want to help people grow their businesses.
• Because I want managers to become better managers.
• Because I believe that I can “Give your business the EDGE”