PLANT SEEDS
A friend recently shared a quote by George Eliot: “It is never too late to be what you might have been.” This triggered my mind to recall the Chinese proverb: “The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The next best time is now.”
We never know the outcomes of the seeds we plant throughout our lives.
As a long-time educator, I often wonder if anyone is out there. Do you remember the teacher in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off? The point of the teacher’s struggles revolves around an audience that is far from engaged. We have all either been in front of an audience that appears bored or the recipient of a less than engaging speaker. Having said that, I think leaders sometimes question the impact they may have on those around them. Sometimes, the true impact of those words will not come to fruition for many years into the future.
Recently, I found myself working with a group of athletic coaches from a local high school during a 3-hour Leadership Summit. We discussed the influence coaches can have on athletes. I believe coaches plant seeds continually as they work with young people. Also, realize that the significance of your influence on these young people may never be recognized. Some will find you later in life and credit you with teaching them valuable lessons. Others won’t realize these life-altering lessons until they reach age 40 or 50.
The lesson: plant seeds even if no one seems to be “getting it.” We never know for sure what is percolating in these young minds. Plant anyway!
Another recent experience of planting seeds occurred when working with another high school. I am a reading junkie; coaches and athletic directors, in my experience, are not accomplished readers. I became engrossed in reading several years ago and have fed my leadership hunger by immersing myself in a plethora of books. I have become that guy who asks other leaders, “What are you currently reading?” My wife sometimes wonders what happened to her husband. Who is this guy? I digress so back to my story. The point is the athletic director from this school just reached out to seek my opinion on which book he should buy for his coaching staff. The choices were two John Gordon classics: The Energy Bus and The Power of the Positive Team. After pulling both from my bookcase and perusing the table of contents, I suggested that either book would be an excellent place to start. Then, I softly advocated for The Power of the Positive Team. Ultimately, it will be his decision. I felt valued from the perspective that he knows that I read a great deal and reached out for a suggestion. The seed planted was that coaches and athletic directors should read to learn and improve upon their craft.
The reading seed was planted. Where will it go for those twenty coaches who decided to read the book? We don’t know. If even a couple of them, and the athletic director, become readers, mission accomplished. The lesson: always choose to plant!
The other seed planted this month is my return to athletic coaching. I am not coaching high school athletes, which has been my entire experience. I am helping to coach Little League Baseball, that is, 11–12-year-olds. Boy, am I having fun? I can share my experiences over the past 35+ years and provide them some insights into getting better. At practice last night, I found myself asking the pitchers a question. I thought it was pretty good. “What are you going to do when you are ahead in the count, 0-2?” I could literally see the thought bubbles forming above their heads. Some came up with answers; some looked like I was speaking a foreign language. This may be a question that is above most eleven-year-olds. However, I wanted to challenge them and see what came out. If we never push people, how are they going to improve? As I drove home, I reflected on my evolution as a coach and a leader. I have read so much about asking great open-ended questions. Don’t lead people to the answer you desire; allow them to ponder. Great questions are an amazing way to learn about others.
Will any of these young men remember the question that I them at the next practice? I am not holding my breath. However, I may be pleasantly surprised. The lesson: always choose to plant, especially with young people and you may be amazed someday.
If we choose to put people first, we are compelled to PLANT SEEDS when we can.