A few years ago I took up cultivating Bonsai Trees as a hobby. I started with one tree
to see if I would like it. I am still not very good, I have killed as many trees as I have kept alive, but I have come to enjoy it. And, surprisingly, I have learned a few things about managing organizations along the way. Here are a few lessons that I have learned.
Most bonsai trees must be watered very regularly. Because they have very little soil to live in, there is no way for them to store up moisture. People and organizations are like that. If you as a manager are not paying close attention to your people, and providing them with the encouragement and nourishment that all of us need, they will start to fail, they will lose their productivity, and they may start looking for another place where they think they will grow more efficiently.
There is only so much growth that a tree can produce. Therefore, the gardener has to cut away the parts of the tree that he doesn't want to grow so that the nutrients can go to the part of the tree that he wants to grow. Organizations are like that, they have a limited amount of energy (and time). The good manager makes sure that energy is not going to activities that are unimportant and they may have to cut out the activities that are preventing the organization from growing in the desired direction.
As much as Bonsai trees look natural, they will never be found in nature the way that we see a mature bonsai tree in a pot. They reach a mature beauty only if they are constantly cultivated. Organizations are like that. Conditions are constantly changing, people are constantly changing. The good manager is continually assessing the organization to see if there are any problem spots. And then they take the action to heal or remove the problem before it starts to infect the entire tree.
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