Watering and fertilizing

Colleagues,
 
Yesterday we planted a seed, today we will take care of it.
 
My garden needs water almost every day. Sometimes it rains, but other times I need to water it myself. For leaders, watering is the metaphor for interacting with people and nurturing those seeds on a daily basis. There are two basic strategies for doing that.

First, act as if. Act as if the seed had already grown and was bearing fruit. The 18-19th century German philosopher Goeth said, "Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being." This is the essence of providing daily water. 

Sometimes the soil becomes depleted and plants need a boost, so we add fertilizer. Fertilizing is an intentional process provided at just the right time. By being consistently present with people, we can tell when the opportunity to fertilize occurs.
 
One powerful way to fertilize is to provide responsibility for a task related to the seed you have planted. Provide enough support to promote success, but enough space to encourage growth.
 
You don’t need to wait until a person is 100% ready as long as you provide adequate support.
 
What task can you provide to someone that will help them make that big leap in growth?

Do good and be well,

​Frederick