Plant an Apple Seed

Plant an Apple Seed - Grow an Apple Tree
By Ben Carlsen

The Bible says: "Whatever ye sow, so shall ye reap." Sometimes we forget this simple advice. Plant the seeds of responsibility, pride, and accomplishment and you should be able to receive a harvest of these attitudes and behaviors. Plant the seeds of negativity and despair or hopelessness and you'll likely get those too.

You Get What You Deserve

Some people have unrealistic expectations. Remember the pop definition of insanity - "To keep doing the same thing and expect different results"? This popular saying contains more than a grain of truth. Your actions will cause results which are in accordance with those actions. So, back to the analogy: plant an apple seed - grow an apple tree. If you want bananas, plant a banana tree.

Organization Culture

The culture of an organization is in large measure a reflection of its leadership.

Managers have a responsibility to provide effective leadership. Your actions as a leader will ultimately affect your organization and the people in it. Part of leadership is to inspire and motivate. If you, as a manager, plant the seeds of motivation and inspiration, you can, with proper care expect to grow a healthy crop of both. There are always weeds, insects, disease, blight, drought, etc., to contend with, so you need to take special care, and preventative actions. And, bad morale can spread like wildfire.

On the other hand, building a positive organization with a "can do" attitude takes patience and support. Because there are so many bad managers, employees typically mistrust their organizational leadership. You will have to "win them over" by consistently nurturing what you want to grow.

Organization Success

The success of your enterprise is a result of many factors. However, the most important one may be your attitude. Just like individual success depends on attitude so does corporate success. The initiatives and projects you endorse and support will more than likely succeed. Those that you ignore will be ignored by your employees. The seeds you plant include: interest, enthusiasm, confidence, success, persistence, achievement, etc. These are your apple seeds. If you inadvertently, or purposefully, plant other seeds, you'll produce entirely different results. Likewise if you focus on one result but expect another you should not be surprised at the outcome.

You can also plant the seeds of contempt, mistrust, and negativity. Expect to get a "bumper crop"!

The seeds of success are often simple and straight-forward. Plant an apple seed and expect an apple tree. Enjoy your "Golden Delicious."

Ben A. Carlsen, Ed.D, MBA, is an experienced CEO and manager. Dr. Carlsen has over 30 years experience in management, consulting, and teaching. Currently the Head of the Business Department at Everest Institute, Hialeah, FL., he was Chairman of the Los Angeles County Productivity Managers Network and President of the Association for Systems Management (So. Calif. Chapter). Additional information can be obtained at http://drben.info Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ben_Carlsen