My basic premise for launching “cultivation(s)” six years ago was that growing a business is a lot like farming, something that I spent quite a few years doing earlier in my career. In order to produce a bountiful crop, careful attention must be paid to the land, crop selection and cultivation practices. In business, culture is like the land upon which the business grows; it can be fallow or made fertile through proper cultivation practices.

I’ve utilized this space to actively explore all around this topic, but it always comes back to the central idea that “It’s All About The People” as explained in a guest post shared by my youngest son. He closed by noting the importance of a vibrant culture and that “the people we choose to include in our lives and in our organizations determine the difference between just meeting the status quo or exceeding the expected standard and achieving truly remarkable results.” Becoming exceptional, as a person or an organization, is firmly Rooted in Relationships.

When you hear this phrase used in a business context, your first thoughts may go to important relationships with clients. Those external relationships are obviously essential for a business to take root, to grow and to thrive. They are the visible expression of the business purpose, which reveal the value that is created for clients. External relationships with vendors also feed and support the business system.

But the deepest roots are those which anchor and nourish the internal relationships that feed business growth. It is the employees who must come first, since it is only through their dedicated efforts that the external relationships can be established. Close internal relationships typically develop among members within a work unit, but it is the spreading roots across constituent work groups that tie them together and support a growing business. The cultural environment — “the fertile soil of business” — determines how wide and how deep the network will grow. The “top growth” of external relationships must be supported by a healthy root system, or it cannot be sustained and will die back. Internal and external relationships exist in balance.

Healthy and sustainable organizational growth is Rooted in Relationships. Cultivate yours and enjoy the journey.

​Tempus Maximize!