Leave it Alone to do What it Does Best

We have lived in our home for sixteen years. Because we have so many trees our property is usually ten to fifteen degrees cooler than most places in town. The trees have grown so high that we now find ourselves thinking differently as we plan for the future. This is not a complaint merely and observation. Even though it has been years I am always amazed at the changes we see over time. One day you look up and the tree you planted a couple years ago has grown to almost be taller than the deck. Letting nature do it’s thing is amazing!

It can be hard to let people do what they do best without interfering. It requires patience, self control, and an ability to trust people to do things you cannot do. I once had a leader tell me that checking people’s work is like planting a tree, then pulling it out of the ground a few weeks later to check on how it is growing. Sounds silly and yet managers and leaders do it all the time. We think it is checking in when it is simply a sign that there is no trust.

When we learn to let people do what they do best and resist the urge to tell them what and how to do it, two things happen. We allow them to be accountable for their own actions and we are free to do something else. We both learn trust and time is no longer in short supply.

As you face times when other people are doing things, leave them alone. Let them learn what you know and trust them to do it. Okay they may not do it all your way, maybe they will do things a different way. Maybe they do not get the exact result you would get and yet they did it so you could use your energy to do something else. Let that tree grow, all it needs is for you to leave it alone to do what it does best.