This tree reminds us that we need to examine our personal life and our organization to determine if there are things that we need to let go of. Are there things that are no longer useful? There is a time and season for everything. Leaders must act like gardeners and examine those things that have lived out their purpose.
This tree is holding on dearly to its final leaves while the rest of the trees around have released their leaves. Somebody asked me one time, “Why does the tree need to get rid of these leaves? They’re beautiful, they still have life.” These leaves are actually preventing buds from forming so that new leaves can grow in the spring. They’re absorbing the remaining nutrients out of the tree that will be needed in the season to come. Their intended life cycle has expired.
As we head into the spring season of 2024, it’s a great time to think about what projects, practices, and/or people we need to let go of to make space in our personal lives and in our organization for new life. If they were to remain, they could actually prevent and block the capacity for new ideas and initiatives to emerge; ones that will be more vibrant, have more life, and provide a purpose for the next season of our personal and professional lives.
While the earth’s seasons have a clear beginning and end, our organizational culture is not that clean. We have to take opportunities, like the end of a calendar year or the end of a program year, to reflect on and examine where new life is needed.
What projects, practices, and possibly even people need to be pruned to make way for new life?
Here are some questions that may drive this reflection:
- Are the projects that you are pouring valuable resources into achieving the intended impact and results that you hoped for?
- Are these projects aligned with the current strategic goals and outcomes of your organization?
- Have you allowed them to remain because they appear to have “some” life left in them, but they are really taking more life than giving it?
- Are the organizational practices that you have in place to operationalize your strategy effective?
- Are they still producing the desired results you intended for them?
- Are the practices being followed with fidelity by those implementing the practices?
- If not, that could be a sign the practice needs to be evaluated for its effectiveness.
- Are people creating “work-arounds” to avoid a practice that is outdated, irrelevant, or ineffective?
- Do we have individuals on our team who are not engaged in the vision and mission of our organization?
- Have you had conversations with these individuals to determine if there is a possibility of realignment, recalibration, or reinvigoration in order to increase their engagement?
- Are you exhausting supervisors by hanging onto low performers?
I’m reminded of the old song by The Clash – “Should I stay or should I go now?. One of the lines in this song is, “If I go, there will be trouble. And if I stay it will be double.”
It may cost you more to keep something you’re hanging on to when it’s really time for it/them to go!
Spending time reflecting on these questions will help to determine what needs to go and what needs to stay.