Growing Leaders Is Like Growing Trees : Part One

Part One: Bradford Pear…it’s all in the roots

I will never forget the winter of 2002, Jason and I had just moved to South Carolina and we had one of the most horrific ice storms recorded for the area.  Since we were from Florida and knew no such weather, I certainly wasn’t prepared for what we came home to after the storm. As we pulled into the drive way, I could see both of our 25 foot tall Bradford Pear trees were split right down the middle, overwhelming our front lawn.  It looked as if a level 5 tornado had singled out our house, it was terrible.

Our neighbor was outside taking in his own damage when he yelled out to us, “Hey you’re gonna need a chainsaw!” Jason and I were flabbergasted; we both in tandem looked at each other and said, “We have never owned a chainsaw.”  Well, a chainsaw was needed and to our surprise and delight it was quite useful for helping to finish off the demolition.

Being from Florida, I knew nothing of these massive Bradford pear trees; I thought they could take the storm and I couldn’t figure out why the trees in our yard had cracked and fell so easily. Because of my obsession with understanding things that puzzle me, I looked up this indigenous tree and found  that they had fallen due to one important reason…they had weak roots.

The Bradford Pear tree is a common tree used in many housing developments including the one I lived in. It is said to grow to its full capacity in just under 5 years; and requires little pruning or upkeep. That sounds pretty good, unless you want to grow a tree that has deep, powerful, strong roots. The tree may grow fast but it sacrifices its root systems to get there.

What does trees have to do with growing leaders? Let me explain, when it comes to growing people many leaders get excited when they can help equip someone who seems to be growing quickly and requires little upkeep.  Little upkeep in the sense that they tend to themselves and in fact blossom early.  As a leader, you may have some of these people on your radar right now.  They are people you want to develop further, but the important key is not to get caught up with how fast they may be growing up but how strong their roots are growing down. As leaders, we can’t accurately attest to a person’s potential merely by observation of the upward growth; but, we must be able to discern the inward and downward manifold of their life.

We can get in too much of a hurry and have a need for people so quickly, that we skip important steps to a person’s growth. Like a housing development we are building and growing so fast, we don’t have time to wait on anyone or anything slowing us down.  BEWARE leader, this is the first sign you could have Bradford pear trees among your leadership.  These people are often helpful, excited, and desire to be a part but they lack the inward and downward fortitude to stand when the most severe storms arise. They have been so busy helping they are not growing themselves.

The way to remedy and get this person on the right track is up to you as their leader. First, they need to know what is important to you, not just what is expected from them.  Many leaders spend their time explaining their expectations. We, oftentimes, do not take into account that expectations are no more than mere rules or obligations if not cushioned between values and priorities (first demonstrated in your life).

Secondly, just as a Bradford pear tree you need to help them get truly planted.  In South Carolina a tree of this kind easily falls or splits in a strong storm because it is not used to the winds. But in Oklahoma City, where strong winds blow often, that same tree lasts longer and is more stable because of the constant friction of wind it is up against, which in turn strengthens the roots.