February 2008

Leadership Lessons from Trees | If You Thought You Could Make a Difference (conclusion) | Attend a NALS Conference for Free!

There's No Better Time Than Now... | If Not You, Then Who? If Not Now, Then When? | Creating a Marketing Plan for Your Chapter

Leadership Lessons from Trees
by Dee Beardsley, PP, PLS, NALS President

Remember the movie Nine to Five with Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, and Dolly Parton?   Lily’s mantra in that movie was “I am a willow; I can bend.”   Back when I was working for four partners and a paralegal—and doing the billing for one of our international offices--I used to have that motto as a screen saver on my computer!

The greater lesson in that simple statement is that we can take a lesson from trees.  Dr. John Maxwell illustrated the same point a few years ago in an article called “Trees and Teamwork.”   Following an unusually brutal winter, he 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 position.  But where that same species of tree stood alone, the snow's burden had a much different effect.  Branches bent until they snapped.  Occasionally, the trunk even split in two.  Otherwise healthy, young trees lay broken on the snow.”

He went on to relate that out in California giant redwoods only achieved their great size when they were surrounded by other redwoods because in a forest their shallow roots become entangled and bound together below ground and each tree is tethered by all its neighbors so that together they can withstand hurricane force winds.
  
Dr. Maxwell’s point was that  leaders who go it alone will fail alone.  Collaborative leadership takes more effort, but it yields greater results and provides a greater probability of success.   By enlisting the input of the people on your team, you increase your potential for success.   He suggested:

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.

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.

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!

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 leadership intact!