The morning was still cool and the sun had barely come up so the atmosphere was not too thick with humidity. I was excited though because I got to tear up things.
I am the early riser usually in my home and I got to go to the local Rotary garden that our family helps take care of. Today was a little more enjoyable because I got to dig up the broccoli that had been planted and harvested over the past four months.
At first I was yanking the broccoli out of the ground by hand, but my back and body quickly reminded me I am no longer in my twenties so I retrieved a shove to help the process. As I was pulling out the broccoli plants and tossing them into a pile to haul off I was struck with a question: why is it as leaders we find it much easier to tear down than to plant and allow time for growth?
As I pondered this question a few ideas why I find tearing down easier than allowing growth to occur came to mind:
- Impatience. Quite frankly I can be extremely impatient with the process of planting seeds and waiting for them to grow. When I used to coach athletes on a daily basis it felt much more efficient to yell across the room for them to be quiet and stay on task. It may work for a moment, but I found if I took the time to understand what motivated that individual who often was off task and planted seeds to help them see a bigger picture I got improved results.
- Selfishness. Let’s be honest, we like to see results and when we pull up plants or tear down a building for a construction project the results of our work are quickly evident. There is nothing wrong with wanting to see results, but what if we are trying to get results at the expense of another person’s well-being. Daniel Goleman coined a phrase called the “amygdala hijack.” In simple terms this is when we blow up at another person and we behave completely irrational. Selfishly we may feel better because we “blew off some steam,” but in the long run we will have a lot of messes to clean up from our over-reaction.
- Ease. The process of tearing down an object is much easier than building or allowing time for growth. I did not have to think about what plant to pull up or where to put it. The labor was fairly mindless. On the other hand when planting the garden you have to bend down and put the seeds in a particular area and dig up each hole. You have to think about where to plant the seeds and how to space them. I know, not too physically laborious, but it requires more mental energy.
As a leader launching a project or program or planting seeds of growth in the lives of those we serve either at home or work requires energy. Tearing people down, unfortunately, is quite simple while creating an environment for growth takes great planning, care, and persistent work. As leaders do we plant seeds of growth with the people around us or unintentionally tear them down? What is one way you can create fertile soil to develop great leaders by creating a culture of patience, selflessness, and comfort with being uncomfortable? Need help thinking into that? Contact me and I’m glad to help. Lead well at work and home.
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