I don’t have a huge amount of time for working in the garden, but we have really enjoyed the fruits of our labors – there’s nothing like fresh vegetables and herbs to add huge flavor power to your meals!  Unfortunately there’s no free lunch.  We always have to work for our reward.

One of the chores is weeding.  It’s astonishing how quickly unwanted plants can take hold, and how much work it is to remove them.

Here’s a quick truth on that topic:

It’s not enough to cut the top of the plant off.  If you leave the roots, the plant will come back.  Every time.  You’re just delaying the inevitable.

So, what does this have to do with leadership?  If you get your roots deep enough, it doesn’t matter how many times you “get your head bitten off” or get shot down.  As long as you have the depth to be sustained, you will be able to make a comeback.

What does it mean to “go deep”?  It depends on the situation:

****  In terms of sales, it may mean adding enough value over a long enough period of time to diverse enough parts of a client’s organization that you’ll be able to continue to work with a client, even if one part chooses to look elsewhere for help.

**** In terms of thought leadership, it may mean that you become the recognized expert in your field, and hone your skills over time to communicate in a way that meets the market needs.

**** In terms of marketing, it may mean sowing seeds for a long enough time in enough fields to begin to see results.  This includes analyzing the effectiveness of your efforts so that you don’t just bang your head up against the wall and think you’re making progress.

**** In terms of operations, it means what Covey calls “Sharpening the Saw” – measuring, and adapting your performance to make sure that your delivery is consistently excellent.

**** In terms of product development it means really understanding the needs of the marketplace and producing products that are the salve for the customer pain.

What can you do to go deeper this week?  Please let me know!