A few winters ago, parts of the southeastern United States,
including Atlanta where I now live, endured a much tougher than usual winter.
Following a wet, six-inch snowfall, pine trees made a great parable of the need
for teamwork.
Along the roads I noticed that where tall, young pine trees grew in large
stands, even though the branches were bowed with the heavy snow, the trunks and
branches were able to lean against one another, thus providing support. When the
snow melted, those trees that had support sprang back into their usual vertical
positions. But where that same species of tree stood alone, the snow’s burden
had a |
— John C. Maxwell — |
much different effect. Branches bent until they snapped.
Occasionally, the trunk even split in two. Otherwise
healthy, even split in two. Otherwise healthy, young trees
lay broken in the snow.
On the West coast, where I previously lived, a different
type of tree provided another dramatic parable. The giant
redwoods only achieve their great size in forests of
redwoods. The root systems of these mammoth trees are
relatively shallow. Planted alone, they will inevitable
topple in high winds. But in redwood forests, their roots
become entangled and bound together below the earth’s
surface. Each tree is tethered by all its neighbors, and
together they can withstand hurricane force winds.
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Leaders who go it alone will fail alone. Collaborative
leadership takes more effort, but it yields greater results.
Collaborative leadership takes more time, but it provides a
greater probability of success. The adage, “None of us is as
smart as all of us” becomes evident when your failure is a
direct result of failing to enlist the input of your team.
1. Plan Together.
This allows you to share the victory with your team, and
allows your team to share with you in the face of defeat.
2. Prepare Together.
Getting input from your team members not only improves your
chances of winning, it also prepares others for leadership
roles. When leaders and potential leaders work together,
they learn from each other new ways of processing
information and planning strategically.
3. Celebrate Together.
Never pass up an excuse to throw a party. One of the most
common flaws I see in leaders across the country is when
they reach a significant milestone; they immediately set
their sights on another without stopping long enough to
celebrate the victory they’ve just won. Do it! Not for you,
but for everyone else who gave so much to make the win a
reality. And if you lose one once in a while, celebrate the
fact that it could have been worse!
4. Debrief Together.
After each win or loss, schedule a brief meeting to find out
from each participant what went well – and what could have
gone better. You’ll see the situation from multiple
viewpoints, and you’ll also see first-hand who on your team
is growing in their ability to handle success and defeat.
When you apply the lesson of the trees, you’ll emerge from
the storms of life intact!
John C. Maxwell is the founder and chairman of The INJOY
Group, organizations he created to partner with people by
helping them to maximize their personal and leadership
potential. He is an expert on leadership, speaking to more
than 250,000 people a year on growth, leadership and
personal development. He can be reached at
www.maximumimpact.com.
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