Leadership Plants a Seed

by John Keyser

I recently listened with attentive interest to St. Luke’s gospel about a mustard seed planted in a garden, which grew into a large bush with strong branches where the birds of the sky dwelt. I imagined those branches as an attractive and sturdy framework for the birds to gather safely and purposefully.

Our leadership can certainly be that mustard seed. If we plant it with care and intention, it will grow and attract good people to our company. Because as we grow into leadership responsibilities, if we create a culture of support and collaboration, our people will thrive; they will feel they are vital members of that culture. They will fill those branches with purposeful work and they will strengthen the foundation of our company.

True leadership is attractive. When we project quiet confidence and a genuine, collaborative spirit, we attract good people who want to do good work.

Leadership is how we help people feel about themselves. It’s offering a smile, a question about how may we help. It’s being present in a one on one conversation, putting our blackberry aside. It’s our asking for ideas and feedback, and offering timely positive and helpful feedback.

Are these little things? Maybe, yet it is the little things – a smile, a conversation – that sustain the spirit of our team members. This is how we grow into a highly motivated, high performance organization. Creating a winning organizational culture is the very best framework for retaining talent – and sustaining our companies well into the future.