Lessons from a Crepe Myrtle tree. Are you familiar with the premier summer-flowering tree of the South? It tolerates heat, humidity and does well in most soils. It grows quickly and can reach as high as 35 feet. Left unchecked though, the growth can sap the beauty and the branches get weighed down.
Being transplants, the tree caught the attention of both David Rendall (Midwest) and I (Northeast) because of the way it is pruned. Each winter you see rows and rows that have been cut back severely with only the largest branches remaining. This annual pruning is vital to maintaining its health.
In our efforts to make our companies well-rounded and multi-faceted, we often develop branches that are unproductive. Unfortunately, we don’t prune them and they end up sapping our strength and resources.
Every company has a limited amount of time, energy, and resources. The Pink Goldfish strategy of minimizing (pruning) allows us to conserve those resources and use them in ways that improve our effectiveness.
In the book, The Art of Non-Conformity, Chris Guillebeau says, “To fulfill some commitments, others must be excluded.” He refers to this as “radical exclusion.”
Takeaway: What are you willing to radically prune as we begin planning for 2021?