Lessons Learned from Trees

I enjoy coffee sitting on my deck during summer weekends, watching the morning break, and feeling the sun's warmth. My mind is at rest, void of chatter. Peace brings the gift of reflection.

Caressed by the crystal blue sky stands a magnificent tree, taller than the rest. The cluster of other trees, as they lean towards the tallest of them, seem to recognize this tree is the leader. During an advisory session with a dear friend and mentor, I mentioned the tall tree and the cluster of trees.

He pointed me to a book by Peter Wohlleben, “The Hidden Life of Trees", not a book I would normally read, but my curiosity peaked. ?Here is what I learned.

Trees are planted in clusters, and their roots grow deep into the earth, crossing each other by design. They protect each other despite being of varied species: evergreen, oak, pine, cherry, etc.

When a tree is sick, the other trees send sugar through the network of roots to aid the imperiled one. ?When predators are present, a tree or a group of trees will communicate to the other trees danger is coming and how to protect themselves. ?As trees grow, they share sky space for other trees to receive the sun's nutrients.

Trees feel, communicate, and have a sophisticated social network connecting them to deepen their relationship. But what about the tallest tree?

All forests need a leader. In this case, the tallest, but that need not be. The leader is usually the first to send sugar and the first to take on the predator. ???

You may see the parallels to our personal and professional lives by now.

Without each other, no matter our differences, we must accept each other and help each other in need. We need to protect each other from predators. We need to share our sugar of goodwill, decency, respect, and dare I say it, love.

In return, we will create a beautiful forest, high-performing teams, close-knit families and a resilient society. Let's be magnificent trees.