A Saturday musing on what it feels like to grow something new. Oh, and yes, this is a metaphor for a business or organisation, this IS a leadership blog, after all 🙂
When we have time, energy and focus to think about then grow or build something new, not only can we often get better results, but it almost always feels more powerful than buying something already fully formed.
Yesterday I bought this collection of flowering plants and herbs from a pop-up shop energetically created by the owner of a local art gallery with time on her hands now that the gallery is closed.
Today I will pot them in my rooftop terrace planters and will water them and watch them grow all summer, smelling the lavender, cooking with herbs and enjoying the bright colours of the flowers.
Now, for the last two summers, I didn’t do this. I simply paid a great local company to pick up my planters, emptying them of the prior years plants, then putting new ones in and bringing them back.
Yes, to have fresh flowering plants looked great the last two summers, but I know that this summer a) the variety the lady at the gallery sold me will look quite amazing, b) I paid less for more value as I put in the time, energy and focus on this rather than fully delegate, and c) the most valuable and least tangible, it will FEEL even better as I know I planted them out myself, choosing which one goes with another one etc.
That’s my Saturday sorted out. See you on Sunday.
Oh, and energy awareness is core to leadership. I know taking time to do this will “charge my batteries”, ahead of a period in the coming weeks where I forecast change around business will go from being “in limbo” to being ever-changing and totally unpredictable as we begin the “dance” of bringing life back beyond lockdown.