You are the seed

And He spoke to them at length in parables, saying: ‘A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.’ Matthew 13:1-9

I had the good fortune of being asked to join a new department tasked with establishing new processes and methodologies early in my career. Given its nature, this new department was staffed specifically by talented people who did things differently. The hours were long, meetings with stakeholders intense, but our contribution and impact on our company was clear and significant.

Change is difficult for anyone and especially so for those who were being asked to significantly change how they work. Tension became stress and it led to frustration and disengagement all around. Many of my colleagues leading this new work began to avoid meetings with those responsible with scaling our work, creating a culture of two distinct teams. You were either “inside the honeycomb hideout” or you were outside and to be avoided.

Frustration can make it hard to do your job, especially when you feel your work is not appreciated or welcomed. However, the parable of the sower of seed is a powerful reminder that leadership is not guaranteed success. Sometimes your work will be misunderstood or under appreciated. Sometimes your work will be repurposed beyond your intent. Sometimes it will be completely shut down.

So be it. Leadership isn’t easy, and yes, you will miss the mark often in spite of your best efforts. Like the tree in the picture accompanying this post, let the boulder be a boulder and worry more about growing to be the tree you were intended to be.