"Block Quote. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique."
~Bob Ross | CEO Happy Trees Inc.
As we present this blog, it is mid-summer in this part of the world – and the perfect time to talk about seed catalogs. Yes, we are aware that this summer has brought chunks of hail that have cut through seedling, torrential rain and then record temperatures that have baked the best of the gardens. That’s the point.
The seed catalogs are typically mailed out in the dark, bitter cold of winter a time when many of us long for most anything green. We dream of flowers, flowering shrubs and flowering trees. As many of us brave the coldest of cold, icy mornings, we look over to the piles of snow in our gardens or nearby parks and imagine those magical spring days and the harvests of things to come.
They know what they are doing
Of course, the seed companies know what they are doing. They’re selling seed at the proper time, to be sure, however they are actually selling is promise and hope. They are not selling the work ahead (watering, weeding, thinning, fertilizing, etc.) they are selling promise.
The seed companies don’t often make you aware that the gardens they show are established, have been designed by landscape architects, and are constantly being pruned or clipped or “dead-headed.” Master gardeners diligently work to enable seed companies to command a premium price for a paltry number of seeds in a decorative packet.
There is a point to where we are leading you with this: mindfulness.
At its core, horticulturalists have much more in common with farmers than those who paint portraits of flowers or the poets who extoll the virtues of lilacs from lofty heights. Horticulture is hard work; raising seed takes work as (obviously) is marketing, sales and customer service.
All of it is contingent on the awareness that things change.
Some may believe that all there is to having a magnificent garden as seen in a slick garden catalog is to opening the little packet, scratching on the dirt and sprinkling in the seed.
To that end, many would be executive leaders believe that all an effective leader need do is to make a cursory virtual or in-person appearance, avoid getting involved (getting dirty) have others handle “the watering and raking,” spout a few clever words (hope for ideal conditions) and become executive of the year (produce beautiful yields and armfuls of gorgeous blooms).
It doesn’t work that way.
There is a reason we italicized “things change” and “customer service” above. For we have known landscapers, horticulturists, garden center owners and certainly those in agribusiness. The amount of time they must devote to customer service and customer education is staggering. To be hands off is to lose huge chunks of business.
Now we know where the conversations might lead and the possible response: “Well, that’s an area AI could handle.” Our response: “Only to a limited point.” Customers, like co-workers and/or subordinates get frustrated by dismissal.
Disappointing results from a single $3.79 seed packet is one thing, but poor results from 10,000 or 50,000 or more of them is another. If executives took the attitude of “well, we just put it in packets…. it’s up to them to grow it,” it’s a guarantee they would lose customers.
We’re not even delving into the world of saplings and started plants.
Climates change, soils change, water requirements, temperature fluctuations, germination rates, insect infestations, the growing season itself, are all variable factors. The executives in that industry must be mindful of all of them, and understand the role of change. They must address those concerns.
So too, in any organization from accounting to software design to manufacturing auto body parts. Executives who care to not be mindful of what is going on around them, who lead by reaction rather than response, who don’t believe in authenticity but are content with projecting uninspiring leadership “images,” are generally unproductive or counter-productive.
The garden catalog is a great example of “promise,” but promise is just that. Without a mindful sense of the effort required, the results are in doubt no matter the potential. It is as applicable to chip manufacturing as it is to growing broccoli.