Leverage Your Leadership: Don't Cut Them at the Stems. Let Them Grow!

One thing I cannot stand is cut flowers. It’s true!? Are they beautiful? Most definitely. They can be arranged in the most elegant and meaningful ways. The only exception for me was my wedding bouquet. Rather than decorate the church with cut flowers, mom pulled one of my favorite flowers out of her garden, placed them in pots, and then placed them on the alter. That’s all – that was enough. When the wedding was over, Scott and I dug holes in our home’s garden and planted them. Every place we have lived, you guessed it. They are dug up at the old home and move with us to our new home. When they expand, we cut back the original plant and dig a new place for the new cut.

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Are cut flowers around during other special occasions? Slim-to-none chance.

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You see, with this choice, we have created new traditions, new meanings and ways to celebrate, and honor our journey together, and as a remembrance of our promise to grow with and be with one another through thick and thin. Like clockwork on our anniversary, our flowers bloom as a remembrance of this, too!

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How can this story be likened to how we approach leadership?

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Leaders make promises to the organization, to their team and to themselves. When hired into the organization, they are excited and ready to commit to an organization that share’s their passion and approach to servicing others. For teams, they want to be there for them and help them – doing their part for the greater good; helping others when it is right and necessary and to nurture employee’s spirit, confidence, and development; and continuing the promise to being there no matter what and as an integral part of the team. For themselves, recognizing when it is time for grace and time to pause and recharge. If there is a failure to remember any of these, if there is a failure to lead the way in any of these, leadership has been cut “at the stem” and has not allowed these important leadership traits to nurture the organization’s culture and expand throughout and shape the landscape of it.

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You can pull from your leadership garden, skills at their roots and share them with others. This tradition is to aid in the continual growth so that others may shape the organization’s landscape – through thick and thin.