Roots Vs. Fruits!

Roots Vs. Fruits – / 127, 06 July 2024

These articles explore self-development in the context of Management and Leadership, and are based on personal experiences, reading, and reflections.

Views are strictly personal. Reference sources are cited. Feedback is welcome!

I recently came across a widely-circulated WhatsApp forward on the astounding yet unseen triumph of trees – they have to grow in two different directions, one in the dark moist soil unseen by anyone (Roots) and the other in the open towards the sky and sunlight to bear Fruits. On reflecting, I thought this is true for management and leadership too, where Leaders have to grow strong inner roots to reach for the sky and bear the fruits of their professions. Interested? Do read on!

In general, when we look at our leaders, we see and take inspiration from the Fruits (Designation, Work level, and its trappings) and generally miss thinking of Roots (Effort, Discipline, Sacrifices, etc.) that actually make them what they are. Like Roots, disciplined efforts grow in the dark, amidst great resistance, and largely unseen. No one applauds or even notices the efforts being put in, but leaders need to persevere, nevertheless. Slowly, the efforts start being visible because people see the sprouting leaves and flowers, and eventually, branches bearing fruits. The result is what is eventually seen and applauded by everyone, not the effort.

The irony is that only when the results look good are the efforts applauded. But efforts need to be put in anyway. The overflow of celebrations and congratulations for India’s win in the ICC T20 is in the news. But what we miss is that for last year’s ICC T50, when we reached the final with 10 consecutive victories, but lost to Australia, the efforts were no lesser! The same coach, the same captain, the same batters and bowlers, the same support staff, and the same efforts (Roots) were present, it was just that the world cup victory (Fruits) didn’t land in our lap. Hence there was no celebration. Similarly, when we look at the sculpted abs of an athlete (Fruits), we miss to see the years of diet and workouts (Roots) behind those. Or when we swoon over the intellectual wisdom of a professor (Fruits), we miss to see the decades of study, reading, writing and teaching (Roots) behind the accumulated wisdom.

Coming to management and leadership, a large chunk of it is managing people or talent. Here too, we tend to focus on Fruits (pedigree, positions held, team size, track record of success, attitude) instead of the Roots (work ethic, people relations, difficult situations managed without fuss, putting the organisation first). Our own CVs are also a “Fruit-list” if we look at them critically. Can we also some details of Roots? What did I initiate / What is my work ethic / What drives me / What’s my communication style / How do I get the team aligned / How did I handle failure and setbacks? I believe the roots will give a better indication of future fruits, which is essentially what the employer is looking for. And yes – even if fruits don’t materialise, we know that the efforts will have created a thousand seeds for the future.

To summarise, let us look at both Fruits and Roots in our teams, and learn to acknowledge the importance of both. This will create a fertile topsoil for nurturing all trees and plants, and some will definitely bear fruit! I hope you enjoyed reading this one and look forward to your feedback and thoughts as we build a conversation around this topic.

Warmest regards, Krishnakumar.

Image courtesy:

https://changingaging.org/elderhood/roots-shoots-and-fruits/

Reference Sources:

Unknown WhatsApp forward – Gravitropic Vs. Phototropic growth of Trees.

None.