A Time for Growth
“To everything – turn, turn, turn. There is a season – turn, turn, turn. And a time to every purpose under heaven.” Can you hear The Byrd’s recording of Pete Seeger’s song even now running through your head?
This past weekend while Hilary and Judah were here, Kandy and I took advantage of the manpower to pull the winterized geraniums out of their bat-like existence. Our geraniums spend the cold months hanging upside down in a darkened out-building. The green leaves wither from lack of moisture and light. They look almost lifeless.
For years we spent several hundred dollars every spring purchasing new geraniums to put in beds, pots, and baskets. Once the hard freeze of winter came, we would remove the frozen plants and discard them. It was the price we paid for the lovely red blooms.
Three years ago we began a new strategy. Before the first hard freeze we uproot the still flowering plants, remove the dirt from the root system, and hang them for the winter. Year one we were skeptical. After 100% survival rate and new spring growth we moved from skeptical to intrigued.
Year two we moved from intrigue to excitement as the plants came back stronger, healthier and able to produce larger, more robust blooms. People in the neighborhood stopped and commented on the size and beauty. Some asked which nursery was selling such large geraniums. One even mistook them for rose bushes (not sure if he was over impressed or under-informed).
This year we are full-on advocates. After several years the geraniums have long, stringy roots, and thick stalks. Today they are planted in temporary pots. For the next few weeks we will monitor the temperatures closely. Daytime temps in the 60s and 70s prepare geranium for the triple digit summer heat. When the overnight lows get close to freezing again, Kandy and I will spend five minutes putting them back in the protected warmth of the garden shed. By Mother’s Day weekend, they will probably be strong enough to endure a mild frost. Only then will the geraniums be placed in their spring and summer pots. By early June their profuse blooms will greet guests to our home and neighbors enjoying their walk.
Our geraniums have taught me much about business and professional development.
1. People cannot be pushed to produce more without providing them a much needed rest. At some point leaders must ask, “How much more with how much less?”
2. Proper rest strengthens people for greater levels of productivity. Some companies have discovered the benefits of forced digital downtime.
3. When experiencing slow seasons of business, develop your infrastructure for the next season of growth. Is your infrastructure capable of handling your next “spring growth?”
4. It is more cost effective to allow people to experience deep rest than to run them until their “blooms fall off” and then have to recruit and hire well producing employees. What initiatives do you have in place to prevent weariness?
Even if the tune of Pete Seeger’s song eludes you, do not let the Truth of King Solomon’ words fall on deaf ears. To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1 What will blossom forth from you this spring?
Tags: growth, infrastructure, leadership, seasons, spring