The Avocado Tree

We’ve had an avocado tree in our backyard for something like four years. We have also complained incessantly because the avocado tree, planted when we were first re-landscaping the back lawn, has done absolutely nothing. It’s anemic, paltry, and otherwise not deserving of being called an avocado tree.

At the same time, we love avocados and we have really wanted to grow our own. So, Janet and I did what we thought would be appropriate. We gave it a place in our home — our backyard to be exact — lots of love, more than enough water and sunshine, and, all in all, whatever we thought was necessary for the avocado tree to grow and produce little sweetie pie avocados that we could enjoy with our salads or with a little salt, lemon, and olive oil on toast.

After four years, nothing happened. The avocado tree has remained avocado-less, somewhat of a failure as an avocado tree. So, one night we had friends over who had a virtual jungle of avocado trees in their backyard, we told them the sad saga about the one and only avocado tree we had in ours. One of them asked the simple question, “how do you fertilize it?” Janet and I both looked up, somewhat startled, and said, “fertilize? Is there a fertilizer for an avocado tree?”

“Of course, there is,” our friends said. “Just go down to any of the landscape shops or even Lowes or Home Depot and buy some avocado fertilizer.” Wow, pretty obvious. Why didn’t we think of that!”.

In any event, some eight months later, with ample portions of fertilizer that Janet procured and distributed around the base of the avocado tree monthly, this avocado tree looks like an expat from Little Shop of Horrors! This thing is huge; and, more significantly, huge almost overnight. Within eight months, it has tripled in size and every branch has dozens of avocado buds. Janet and I looked at each other, scratching our heads, wondering why it is that for four solid years, we chastised the avocado tree without asking ourselves the question of what we can do to support it.

It occurred to me, as you can imagine, that the lesson holds true for each of us operating as employers. Regardless of what our management style is, and regardless of what we actually say in public, we do hold opinions about the proficiency of our associates. And we may not publicly complain, but we certainly do complain internally and no doubt to our spouses, about some of our associates’ inability to perform what we want them to perform — raise avocados well! And often times, apparently, we fail to realize that we are the ones at fault, because we simply don’t fertilize them in a way which allows them to reach their maximum potential.

We cherish our avocado tree, but that was not enough. Fertilizing did the trick.

As employers, we might have great regard for our associates, but that’s not enough. If we fail to nourish them, nurture them, and grow them — fertilize them — they will not deliver the fruit we both want and expect them to produce.

A simple, but sometimes neglected, lesson. Fertilize your employees and they will produce fruit for you!