The Meadow
One of my favorite places to wander with my camera is a meadow near my home. This year, thanks to weeks of spring rain, it has been especially beautiful. Everywhere I looked there was something blooming. Bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush, milkweed, daisies, and dozens of flowers I still can’t name.
When most people think of a meadow, they probably picture one kind of flower stretching to the horizon. The reality is much more interesting. Every few feet the landscape changes. Some flowers stand tall while others hug the ground. Some bloom for weeks while others seem to appear overnight and disappear just as quickly.
As I walked, what struck me wasn’t the beauty of any single flower. It was the beauty of all of them together.
None of them seemed to be competing.
The bluebonnets weren’t trying to outgrow the Indian paintbrush. The milkweed wasn’t apologizing for looking different from the daisies. Even the smallest flowers, the ones most people would walk right past, added something to the landscape that would have been missed if they weren’t there.
The Best Teams
It reminded me of the best teams I’ve had the privilege to work with.
The strongest teams weren’t made up of people who all thought alike or approached problems the same way. They were made up of people with different strengths who understood the role they played and appreciated what everyone else brought to the table. They weren’t trying to become someone else. They were simply becoming the best version of themselves.
The result was something none of them could have created alone.
Maybe that’s why a healthy meadow feels so peaceful. Everything has its place. Everything contributes. There is room for differences because those differences are exactly what make the whole landscape beautiful.
I took a few more pictures before heading home, grateful for another reminder that nature often has a quiet way of showing us truths we’ve been trying to explain for years.
Originally published on DailyPrincipal.com.
Lindsey Korell
CEO & Operational Strategist
What Nature Already Knows Series