#166 organizational fruit

This week, I got my first pomegranate of the season -- one of the few wintertime things that I actually enjoy!  I did not even know what the fruit was until a few years ago, but now I will have a bowl of pomegranate seeds in my refrigerator continuously until spring comes and they are no longer available.  

Pomegranates are a lot like organizations.  If you open one up, there are pods with seeds clumped together, but the seeds are all individual pieces.  It's a lot like departments in an organization -- honeycombs of little seeds -- all separated from each other.  

For those who try to get all the seeds out individually, it is a lot of work.  Usually, it is more work than is worth it.  But if you cut the pomegranate in half and soak the halves in a bowl of water, the seeds will pull away from each other effortlessly and are easily skimmed off.

So it is with organizations.  If you encompass the group in a common environment and have a shared mission, people will come out of their clusters and become part of the whole.  If you try to gain favor individually without an overarching vision, it is difficult to achieve.

Next time you're at the market, pick up a pomegranate if you haven't yet enjoyed one and think about organizational culture when you're preparing it for your yogurt or salad.  There are lessons to be learned everywhere.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
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