As new homeowners, we struggled to keep up on the constant maintenance required by a 1950’s home and yard. We quickly learned that apart from repairs around the house, the lawn required a lot of work as well. The first year, our lawn was in pretty good shape; the previous owners had a much better idea of what they were doing. The following year we mowed and edged, but we could not bring ourselves to pay $80/month to water the grass as much as we thought was necessary… we turned down the sprinklers to save money… and our lawn didn’t last very long into the hot summer months before it was crispy and brown. The only thing that seemed to thrive that year were the dandelions and other weeds. The next year we decided that it would be worth the high water bill and we cranked up the sprinkler system. 15 – 20 minutes for each section, every single day. We got our first bill over $100 and crossed our fingers that it would all be worth it. We were very frustrated when the brown patches returned mid-June and the hot sun quickly scorched the lawn by July. All the money we spent on that grass, watering it every day, until it was soaked. I told my wife that i wanted to punch our ungrateful lawn in the face.
We were over-watering our lawn, which i did not realize was possible. The additional water early in the season made it easy for the grass to grow strong and green early in the season, but all that water at the surface caused the roots to stay at the surface. There was no need for the roots to push their way down through the soil to where the water typically lies a few inches under the soil surface. Once the hotter weather arrived our puny, weak grass didn’t stand a chance because of the shallow roots.
We learned that there is a delicate balance of how much water a lawn requires. You must water it enough for it to survive, but limit the amount of water so that your grass will grow strong with deeper roots.
The application of this lesson is related to employee development and engagement. With new and existing employees alike you must strike a delicate balance regarding both workload and training in order to promote “strong”, capable employees. You must be sensitive to their stress level, personal needs, and educational/training requirements in order to promote a high level of morale. If you make it too easy for your employees and are too sensitive to their comfort level, you will not reach desired levels of productivity and efficiency for your business. You will also deny them of personal growth opportunities and accomplishments that will make them more capable individuals.
Think of any manual labor task that you have had to perform. Lets use digging a hole, or moving a pile of bricks as an example. It involves hard work to get the job done, whether that be a physical effort or a mental effort in finding an easier solution to the task at hand. In either scenario a considerable effort is required, but you become more capable of performing similar tasks in the future. Alternatively, you might be able to convince someone else to do the job for you, but you gain nothing. The next time the task arises… you will likely defer once again.
What is the best way to determine how hard to push your employees? How do you determine the capacity of an individual, or set a production expectation for a given job?
for more lawn tips: how to get a green lawn
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