The Chinese bamboo tree is planted after the earth is prepared, and for the first four years, all of the growth is underground. The only thing visible above the ground is a little bulb and a small shoot coming out of it. Then, in the fifth year, the bamboo tree grows up to eighty feet. Principle-centered leaders understand the metaphor of the bamboo tree. They understand the value of working in Quadrant II (i.e., putting 'important but not urgent' tasks on priority) [1]. They know what it means to pay the price to prepare the ground, to plant the seed, and to fertilize and cultivate and water and weed, even when they can’t see immediate results, because they have faith that ultimately they will reap the fruits in the harvest. And what wonderful fruits they are!
Your organization’s culture is the one competitive advantage that cannot be duplicated. Technology can be copied. Information can be acquired. Capital can be bought. But the ability of your organization to collaborate effectively, to work in Quadrant II, to put first things first, cannot be bought, transferred, or installed. A high-trust, empowered culture is always home-grown. The same is true for a family, or any other group of people. A quality culture must be nourished over time. Only by acting in harmony with correct principles, exercising patience, humility, and courage, and working within your Circle of Influence can you transform yourself and positively influence your organization. You can only create empowerment from the inside out.
[1]: The idea of quadrants is to divide yous activities into four quadrants as follows:
Quadrant I is for 'important and urgent' tasks
Quadrant II is for 'important but not urgent' tasks
Quadrant III is for 'urgent but not important' tasks
Quadrant IV is for 'neither important nor urgent' tasks
