HR Gardening Tip of the Day: Dig a $100 Hole

Posted on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 by Frank Roche

There’s a saying in gardening that’s the best advice I’ve ever received: If you buy a $20 plant, dig a $100 hole.

What that means is preparing the hole is the more important than the plant itself. If you dig a hole that’s not big enough, the plant ends up root bound. If you dig it too deep, the plant fades. If you dig it too shallow, the plant dries out and withers. But, oh, when you dig a $100 hole: magnificence.

That’s a picture up there of the garden path leading to my backyard. I’ve dug a lot of $100 holes. And that made me wonder today as I was up to my elbows in peat moss and loam: When a company hires a new employee, do they dig a $100 hole? If not, it’s no wonder that the employee fades. All plants look so great when you get them all shiny and new. If they don’t work out, whose fault is that?

HR gardening tip of the day: If you buy a $20 plant, dig a $100 hole.

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User Comments

  1. HR Wench

    May 27th, 2008

    Let’s say the plant is more like $7.99 tops…would a $39.95 hole be ok? :)

  2. Amit

    May 28th, 2008

    Brilliant thoughts. I think HR and ROI on recruitment is best expressed here, though subtly.

  3. Frank Roche

    May 28th, 2008

    HR Wench, you make a good point. If you want to dig a smaller hole, buy a cheaper plant. However, I do recommend rounding up to the nearest dollar for the hole size. ;-)

  4. rick

    May 28th, 2008

    I take this to mean that for all employees you should prepare for their on-boarding and help them grow in their careers. I agree. Having worked in consulting most of my life, I have found that these companies expect you to dig your own hole once you get there. The cost in lost productivity and engagement is large.

    Also, working with executives I find that that not only does a realy big hole get dug since the plant is expensive but the ratio of plant to hole cost increases. (This is a tough analogy to maintain.)

    Lastly, since you frequently recommend hiring superstars, for those folk the hole must be truly large and deep.

    I agree with you 100% directionally but at some point the ROI does need to be a factor.

    btw. fantastic yard

  5. Wally Bock

    May 28th, 2008

    Congratulations! This post was selected as one of the five best business blog posts of the week in my Three Star Leadership Midweek Review of the Business Blogs.

    http://blog.threestarleadership.com/2008/05/28/52808-a-midweek-look-at-the-business-blogs.aspx

    Wally Bock

  6. Jessica

    May 28th, 2008

    That picture is beautiful. Great advice, btw.

  7. Frank Roche

    May 29th, 2008

    Rick, you’re right. I think it’s about preparing them to be there. But beyond that, it’s about the systems needed to allow people to be successful. It’s funny, because really qualified people get hired into a bad system and then they fade. I say get your house in order — dig a $100 hole. That’s always a good investment.

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Trackbacks

  1. 5/28/08: A midweek look at the business blogs…

    Here’s my pick of the five best posts from this week’s business blogs. I’m pointing you to posts on hope and lots of ways to learn: learning from American Idol, learning from Nintendo, learning from working in HR, learning from gardening.
    …

  2. [...] also takes me to a post on the knowHR blog entitled "Dig a $100 Hole." The author, Frank Roche, opines that the $20 you spend on a plant is not as important as the effort [...]

  3. [...] also takes me to a post on the knowHR blog entitled "Dig a $100 Hole." The author, Frank Roche, opines that the $20 you spend on a plant is not as important as the effort [...]