I work with high powered people who express themselves with a force, an intensity, a volume, and a speed that often doesn’t take the readiness or the receptivity of their listeners into account.
Being able to tend a garden in Hell’s Kitchen, a neighborhood in Manhattan, New York City happened quite by accident. In front of my lovely apartment building on a block in Midtown West that looks like a traditional NYC block was a plot that housed a lot of dirt and a dying holly bush.
I took over for Ed – an artist of renown who set up his painting studio in his apartment and who restored the garden – when he fell ill.
I am a neophyte gardener. I’m also a New Yorker – high energy, direct, fast moving. I am taught a great deal from being the guardian of this 5-foot x 9-foot slice of heaven. Patience is one.
The lesson I got the most comes from watering the garden and the mistakes I’ve made. I’d want to get it done in the least amount of time. Fast is better, right? Not so.
I’d turn the hose on high volume and spray the plants and ground hard and fast. Get it done quickly. I’d wonder why some of the plants weren’t thriving. I damaged the flowers and eroded the soil with the high velocity water flow.
Through some inner knowing I got to realize where I was going wrong.
Today, I turn the hose on to a light spray carefully soaking the soil around the plants. They are ready to receive that nourishment from the water. Therefore, I take my time drinking in the pleasure of growing a garden.
By modulating the intensity, I got better results from this tiny paradise that opens right out on the sidewalk not far from the curb.
Why do I tell you this?
I work with high powered people who express themselves with a force, an intensity, a volume, and a speed that often doesn’t take the readiness or the receptivity of their listeners into account.
A highly intelligent and talented leader from financial services was referred to me because he spoke so fast and loud, he couldn’t make himself understood. His “water hose” was set to high velocity. Extremely smart and holding the knowledge no one in the global organization had, he was relied on to help set an important direction for the firm.
We worked on many elements of his voice along with his all important message to make it relatable that it was received and understood. He needed to translate his complex technical processes into something the leaders of the firm could resonate with and adopt to improve that running of their businesses. It was a clear competitive advantage.
When this leader tended carefully to the flow, modulating his energy for each listener to receive his message – the leaders could take it in, remember it, and take action upon it. He delivered the impact expected of him.
Photo by Harry Grout on Unsplash
