The Season of Renewal
David Freund, Chief Leadership Officer

I love spring. Well, to be completely honest, I find a reason to love every season. What I love about spring is the renewal I see all around me. The colors are amazing, and some of them you only see in the spring. As the trees begin to leaf out, an amazing pallet of pastels seem to appear. To take full advantage of it, you need to look every day because this process is so short-lived. Once the leaves are all out, the blossoms start to pop. Oh my, are they amazing, spectacular colors and the sweet fragrances that draw in the bees for pollination. Just that quickly, we are in a new productive growing season and fruit is right around the corner.

What made all of this possible? What allowed this eruption of life to occur? Sure, the warmth of spring was made possible by the closeness of the sun, which created an ideal environment for growth, but there is more. The resting period of winter is critical for a healthy tree. During the months when it looks like nothing is happening, the trees store up nutrients and water that can be used later. Without the off-season, renewal and spring would never be possible.

As I reflected on the beauty around me and what it takes for all of this new life to be revealed, I realized that the same is true with us. We all need downtime so new and exciting ideas can come to life. The problem many high-achievers have is that they feel they need to fill their plates with opportunities. Sadly, the schedule limits their ability to develop anything new and outstanding.

My wife asked me the other evening when we were going to plan a late summer or early fall vacation. I quickly said we have plenty of time to plan that in the weeks or months to come. She knows me all too well. Now is when I start booking training sessions for August, September, and October. If I want to deliver results that truly make a difference in the lives of people, I need to plan the downtime so renewal can occur. Help me stay on task with this. The next time you see me, ask me when our vacation is planned.

How about you? When will you plan your downtime? You won’t have a season of renewal without it. Next week we will discuss the other key component for our renewal, the environment.