Bamboo farmers know that energy is precious, and every drop of water matters. If you waste water on weeds, your bamboo suffers. The same is true for leaders and teams. When energy is spent on grudges, resentments, or old conflicts, less is left to nurture what truly matters: your goals, your people, and your growth.
We all carry emotional baggage with us from past experiences and relationships, which can hold us back from reaching our full potential. When giant timber bamboo grows, it sheds its outer layer to reach its full potential.
We need to do the same.
We must ask ourselves these questions to begin the process of shedding our outer layer, just like giant timber bamboo:
The pandemic has impacted so many areas of our lives - health, economic, mental health, and more. Like many leaders, I realized that I needed to rethink my operating principles. During virtual keynotes I have shared my 10 COVID Principles to Lead and Live By as a model and I have encouraged leaders to develop their own.
As many of you know, March Forth is a day I celebrate in honor of my late brother John. The holiday is meant to remind us to celebrate life and find things that help us move forward. I learned a long time ago that no matter who you are, life will throw you heart-crushing blows but we must keep Marching Forth.
An executive recently asked me, “Do you ever get angry?” I believe the question she really wanted answered is, “How do you manage your anger or frustration?” Even though sometimes I feel like an alien, frustration and anger are a “normal” reaction for human beings. I have never been one to be over the top with rage, but I have had my moments.
