Spring has sprung--the energy is released

Spring has sprung--the energy is released, and winter is now dormant, storing energy for the next season. Seeds are aquiver, becoming sprouts who eagerly push up through the warming soil, seeking the sun.

The plant stretches taller and taller, until, if it is lucky enough to miss being trampled underfoot, it goes into summer, storing the heat, the sun, the rain, the nutrients. It blossoms, releasing energy, then putting all its energy into making fruit.

But it is only spring, and the plant does not know what lies ahead. It's putting all of its energy into growth based on what we would call hope. Hope makes it easier to practice the tools that strengthen the risk of resilience, you know?

Organizations need to nurture hope in their employees: not fear of what’s next, hope for what might become. We easily lose our dreams and our ability to tolerate the discomfort of change when we are running low on hope. How? Start by complimenting generously. Find people doing things well and thank them. Focus on growth, positivity, and accomplishments far more than the challenges--and help staff learn creative problem-solving.

That’s a start! It will help nurture that plant spending its energy, and that worker coming in daily, towards hope.