Home grown as Talents

There is something organic, natural, ‘in your face’ and real about growing your own produce.

There’s the benefit of buying and of course the convenience that comes with it but the thought of growing and the pride and joy that emanates from seeing it sprout and then fruit is priceless.

This is true for produce as it is true for talent.

There’s a place for home-grown talent in the gardens of our organisations as much as there is for talent that is purchased ripe.

The challenge with purchased products versus growing at home is the uncertainty – how do I know if this apple is the one what was grown a year ago and just covered with edible glaze spray which gives it a shine that is unreal while the core of the apple rots away daily?

As we continually hustle for talent, one cannot but take a moment to think: We really sometimes want home grown produce but the effort in caring and nurturing and growing it far out ways the ease of purchasing a shiny apple with the risk of it already rotting in the centre.

Now that is not to say there are no hits and misses with home-grown produce – sometimes its left at the mercy of inexperienced “non-green” handed persons who overwater, underwater or just kill the produce with way too much fertiliser.

Can you relate with these types of leaders in your organisation?

They have all good intentions to nurture the talent but are inexperienced or have learnt from one who is inexperienced and just goes with the flow without necessarily checking to see if this type of watering technique or fertilizer usage has been discontinued or upgraded.

You may on the contrary be dealing with leaders you have bought and are not home-grown. They have the allure, lustre and glow of the shiny apple in the box.

They may even come as two-toned so a balance of green and red which tantalises the hiring manager as one gets carried away with the sense of getting the best of both worlds. Sometimes it’s a shot on the bull’s-eye – the talent is worth every bite of the apple. It is so ripe and ready, it gives off seed which is quickly planted in the organisation and starts to germinate. Sometimes its good stock, it’s replanted, sent to different regional and head office locations to replicate and a crop of leaders emerge.

Now the downside is when that one good apple transitions – or one of its seeds is transported to grow out of its location and then it meets a farmer that cares nothing for its hitherto nurturing bent or style of growth.

Question now is how do we get the balance? How do we as line leaders and hiring managers strike a healthy balance of the benefits of home-grown and its attendant challenges to the allure of buying?

What’s it to be? “In-grown”, “out-grown”, “mixed-grown”,  “Buy-grown” or “No-grown”?

Ngozi Adebiyi