The next time you’re standing by a pond, toss a pebble in, and then watch the ripples. Now think of yourself as the stone, and start to imagine the ripples that you could make in the pond of life. Want people in your office to think positive? Watch what happens when you start to model the behavior.
Your habits, and the way you develop them, can directly impact those around you. What if, by one action or reaction, you could modify the outcome of a meeting, finding a solution instead of deferring a problem? What might happen if you channel your energy adaptively, encouraging others to think outside the box when life throws curve balls?
In the early 20th century, George Washington Carver experienced one of those life issues that required adaptive thinking. After encouraging local farmers to plant peanuts, the farmers returned to Carver with a big dilemma: What were they supposed to do with all those peanuts?
At that point, the college professor had two choices: tell the farmers it was their problem, or find a solution. In the end, Carver came up with over 300 uses for the peanut, including instant coffee, linoleum, and shoe polish, all derived from peanuts and their byproducts.
When faced with a crisis or an issue that doesn’t directly involve you, do you avoid the mess or do you help people adapt to the situation at hand, encouraging “outside-the-box” thinking? It would have been easier for Carver to tell the farmers, “tough luck!” and go on about his business, but instead, he shut himself up in his laboratory and found 20 uses for the peanut in just a few days.
It’s entirely possible for your growth and reactions to have the same effect in your company. While it might seem like the ripple you create is tiny, the effect upon the surface of your team has the ability to change the tone of a tense meeting, or the outcome of a difficult project.
George Washington Carver faced discrimination and hardships throughout the course of his life, but he never let it deter him. He spent the majority of his 79 years adapting to new situations and overcoming difficulties, never taking “no” for an answer. The next time you feel like life is handing you an awful lot of peanuts, remember these lessons from Professor Carver:
- Don’t allow a difficult start deter you from a successful ending
- Never stop trying new things
- When you’re faced with a large problem, think outside the box
And most importantly: never underestimate the ripple effect that one person can make on the pond of life.
photo credit: Sean Rogers1
