Growing Food, Growing People
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I have two passions in my life: growing food and growing people. As I continue working and playing in both fields I see the never-ending parallels between the two. I have been growing food for a handful of years and have been growing people for a handful more. My day job is in the L&D (learning and development) field, where my passions lie around coaching, training, and learning with the intention of growing people into their full potential. I spend as much of my free time as possible in the garden growing food with the intention to see its full potential.
For me, both areas come down to fostering an environment that provides the most opportunity for potential, introducing possibilities and resources, and being present throughout the growing process. In both areas I started out my journey believing that I could control the results (let’s be honest, I still think that at times before snapping myself back to reality and fall over laughing at my own ego and insanity) of my attempts at growing food and people. However, I have learned that I actually have no control over what will happen throughout the process and only some influence in guaranteeing success, no matter if it’s a plant or person. This is part of what I love about both, it’s a partnership each step along the way and my job is to bring what I know and can contribute to the process to support an environment for potential.
Here’s how it goes every time I grow food: I find some dirt, plant a seed, place the container in some location I swear will be perfect for growing, water regularly, and then I stare, literally I stare (for hours), waiting for that moment when the magic that has happened beneath the soil pushes itself through the surface to reveal a tiny green sprout. The moment that happens a flood of hope comes over me that I will have baskets of harvest, the sun will be shining, and all will have grown perfectly. As simple as the process of my attempt to grow plants from seed is, there is a complex system taking place behind the scenes. Not every seed will sprout, nor is every seed meant to sprout. So, each time I sow seeds it’s a gamble, a goddamn heartbreaking gamble.
I have experimented with soils. I have over watered, I have under watered. I have found each plant prefers different environments and amounts of sunlight. I have found some plants sprout quickly while others seem painstakingly slow. Once that sprout finally pushes itself through the surface of the dirt I get excited, and then begin waiting again to see if it will last and grow its true leaves. The process continues, often repeating itself over and again, and my job in the quest of growing food is to create the best possible environment for that little seed to find it’s potential and grow.
In the same way, I have found that the process of growing people is no different. I have been in the practice of growing people for years and the process of growing myself for even longer. Like seeds, humans need certain environments, regular tending, and a partner to hang with them through the process knowing they have the potential to produce a crop of possibilities. Sometimes the environment needs to be simple so that the unseen work can take place, just like the work with seeds that is done below the surface of the soil. Sometimes the environment needs to change because the person has outgrown their current situation and needs a new space in order to flourish. Sometimes the saturation of an environment is needed and the intensity of the heat of life is what will make the person thrive, while at other times having those times to cool and quiet down is the key.
As a practitioner of growing people (In the L&D world this is called coaching, training, people development, talent development, and so on) I continue to learn that my role is to do my best to learn about and understand the person so I can be mindful of environments they most thrive in. This includes recognizing and speaking to when they’ve outgrown their current situation, holding faith throughout the process of the unseen work, bringing possibilities and resources to the conversation, and committing the be present throughout the entire growing process. Its about calling out extraordinary qualities when they don’t see it themselves and sometimes pruning parts that aren’t proving any benefit. It’s about being a part of the process, tending to the process, and being committed to their potential.
“It’s about being a part of the process, tending to the process, and being committed to their potential.”
I dream of being with dozens of people each day doing the work of growing people while also holding the dream of doing the work of growing food across acres of land. These often feel competing, yet complimentary; two different worlds connected by very similar practices. Regardless of the similarities and differences, I’m grateful to live out my passions and be a part of the growing process whether that’s taking place in my own self, in a corporate office, or in a backyard garden. It’s beautiful, it’s addicting, and I can’t imagine spending the hours of my day any other way.