I live outside of town (for those who grew up in a rural setting, it would be a stretch to say we live in the “country” — although for those who live in an urban setting, they would think so — lots of trees and animals, and we live on a dirt road).  And I love to take walks in the woods.  This morning I hiked around in the early morning sun, through some surprisingly thick woods and undergrowth.  And it “got me to thinking”.

For many of us, our daily lives are quite segregated from nature.  Hence, we tend to miss many of the foundational lessons we can learn by making some basic observations (and observations that would seem self-evident to most of our ancestors).

• Growth occurs naturally when necessary conditions are met.  In nature this includes light, nutrients, and water.  In business, core conditions include customers who have the ability to pay, the goods or services you are providing to others, getting the word out about your product (marketing), and collecting payment for your product (there are probably more I am missing).  Interestingly, in both nature and business, the lack or absence of one core ingredient means eventual death.
• Controlled growth produces more fruit.  When all of the necessary conditions are present, and especially in times of abundance, there actually can be too much growth.  Pruning, cutting out unwanted growth, planning and planting desired plants, taking out weeds, thinning out plants to provide more room, light and nutrients for selected plants — all are mechanisms for controlling growth.  In business, too many products or services offered, or not being able to manage large surges in demand can actually hinder the company’s ability to maximize their profits.
• Unrestrained growth leads to chaos and little beneficial results.   Have you ever seen a tree or plant that has grown for years without any management of its growth?  They are typically unattractive, not well organized, and don’t produce as much fruit as a tree which has been systematically pruned and thinned.  Similarly, businesses that just grow everywhere and in every direction possible become difficult to manage, and the resources needed to be productive (time, energy, human capital, financial capital) are squandered in helter-skelter fashion rather than in a focused direction.
• Healthy production comes from a combination of planning, preparation, hard work (at the right time), monitoring, maintenance, and long-term effort.  Contrary to some business books (usually in the sales & marketing field), there is no one solution that will make a company successful.  Rather, healthy businesses — like healthy gardens — require a combination of planning & preparation, long hours (at times), monitoring what is actually happening and taking corrective action.  Generally speaking, both in nature and in business, there is no quick pathway to success.  Rather, a series of actions over a long time period lead to healthy production.
• For good results to occur, challenges, lack of resources and destructive elements must be dealt with successfully.  To make plants and trees grow, it is not just a matter of providing what they need (focusing on the positive).  Healthy plants come from dealing with the threat of destructive elements as well — insects & pests, being eaten by animals, fungus or mold or blight, and a harsh environment (drought, extreme heat or cold).  In the same way, focusing on one’s “business plan” without taking into consideration the risks that may be encountered can lead to failure.  Unforeseen competitors, changes in tax law or governmental rules & regulations, or a harsh economic environment — the lack of available financial capital, the lack of adequate human capital and expertise — can tank an otherwise healthy business.

I am sure there are other lessons and metaphors from nature that apply to business-life.  Take a minute and reflect (or better yet, go on a walk, observe and ponder).  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

This post has nothing to do with anything of educational value. It is just an interesting personal experience I wanted to share.

Last night I went for a run (the term “run” is used loosely). It was a beautiful Spring evening, about 70 degrees, calm and the sun was setting. I turned out of my driveway and jogged up the dirt, country road we live on. Our dog, Brownie, who is now 12 years old, chose to watch me from the driveway rather than come with me as she used to do.

About a quarter mile up the road there is a fallow prairie field with trees along the edges. It currently has about shoulder high brown prairie grass left over from last year’s growth (the new green growth is underneath and can’t be seen yet). As I came to the field, right next to the road there were three deer standing and eating. Usually they run off, but this time they just stood and watched me go by.

A little further up the road there is a deep ditch (recently dug out to facilitate run off when it rains) about six feet wide and 25-30 yards long. Right now, the ditch is full of water. As I came up to this area, I heard and then saw two mallard ducks swimming in the ditch. They started to swim away from me but I noticed that the hen was working quite hard, using her wings, almost like she was trying to take off. But she wasn’t going very fast.

As I got closer, it became evident that something was wrong — they didn’t fly off like they should have, and the hen was hurt or something else was going on. So I stopped and went closer to examine the situation. I then noticed the shell of a fairly large snapping turtle in the water, just under the surface of the water, behind the hen. The turtle was latched onto the duck’s leg or foot (I couldn’t see because the water was murky).

I don’t like snapping turtles. And I know that they have an appetite for baby ducklings, so I figured this guy was looking for a meal — maybe wear the duck out, she dies, and he eats her. He was pretty big, not huge, but big — his shell was 14-16″ long and 10-12″ wide.

So I started grabbing dirt clods and whatever rocks I could find and started heaving them at the turtle. As I later boasted to my daughter, finally all the years of pitching in Little League and throwing snowballs as an adult, came to fruition and I was able to use my throwing skills for some social good. I know I hit his body a few times, and there were several close misses that must have scared him. And then I cranked him really good in the head.

At this point, the duck was a bit frantic. She had turned “upstream” and was swimming up the ditch rapidly. After I hit the turtle in the head, he was hanging on for dear life, being drug along by the duck, floating belly-up. I saw my opportunity and grabbed a nice sized piece of rock and chunked it at him — and obviously, hit with a direct strike. He let go of the duck and she swam off in the other direction (all along her partner, the drake, was swimming along side of her).

I waited a while and made sure the ducks swam off to safety (I was surprised they didn’t fly off immediately, but maybe she was hurt.) I then continued on my jog up the road to the the railroad bridge that is my half-way point, feeling quite proud of myself — “Dr. Nature, the duck-saver”!

So I ran (a little more “quick” in my step) up to the bridge and came back. When I got to the ditch, the ducks were no longer there, so I assume they moved on. As soon as I got home, I gathered Kathy and Lizz together and told them of my glorious rescue experience.

Interestingly, as I came downstairs this morning to write this, I looked out the front window and there were three deer in my front yard (Brownie now stays inside so she isn’t there to scare them off.) I had to “shoo” them because one of the deer was eating our juniper by the front door, although they just went to the edge of the yard, stopped, turned around and looked at me as I came back inside.