Planting Seeds
It wasn’t until I began gardening a few years ago that I began to start to understand all of the analogies in business about planting seeds, patience and harvesting. It is spring now, planting season. As I sit here in reflection on a warm spring night, below are some of the parallels I have found the most profound:
Garden: Seeds must be planted in the correct season, at the correct temperature
Business: Ideas must be seeded in the correct environment at the correct time
Garden: Unexpected events, like a late frost, can have season-long consequences
Business: Chaos, change and other unexpected events can derail business ideas and initiatives
Garden: Sometimes seeds may need to be re-planted
Business: Ideas may need to be consistently discussed
Garden: A seed can’t be forced to grow
Business: A leader can’t force a team to adopt ideas or change
Garden: Seeds require consistent care to grow
Business: Ideas and change initiatives require support from all levels to be effective
Garden: Each seed grows at their own time and speed
Business: Ideas and initiatives will be adopted at various rates of speed by individuals and organizations
Garden: Some seeds can be planted together (called companion planting), some need to stay apart
Business: Some business ideas complement each other, others shouldn’t be sown together
Garden: Gardeners gain a wonderful amount of satisfaction harvesting their plants
Business: A leader can derive tremendous satisfaction seeing ideas flourish and teams grow
Reflection Question: What positive ideas will I sow and tend to this season as a leader?
