‘The Pursuit’ Blog

I hate pulling weeds. I always think that I would love to have a garden and imagine planting jalapeños, Roma tomatoes, cilantro, garlic, onions, and other veggies so we can make our own delicious homemade salsa! Then I realize quickly it requires a gardener to have a garden. To those who have never had a garden, this equates to a lot of work. A garden doesn’t happen by accident. The more planning and care you put into your garden, the more fruitful your labor is. The opposite is just as true. If there’s less planning and care you put into your garden, the less likely you are to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Ask me how I know this.

I have tried several times to start a garden. Each time I put more careful thought and planning into it. I tell myself that this time we will maintain the garden. It never happens. Weeds take over. I hate pulling weeds. The problem is, if someone doesn’t do it, you can say goodbye to any fruitful prospects or the enjoyment of your labor. All that money put into the planning and building goes to waste because the plants just won’t produce as well as they could unless you care for them.

I say the same that’s true for a garden is true for anything else you should care for in life. Your health, your family, and even your business or any team you may be a part of. Without the proper care, “weeds” grow and choke out the potential fruitful bounty.

If you own a business like me, sometimes those “weeds” come can in the form of people. I know that sounds harsh but it’s absolutely true. They are the kind of individuals that never produce anything good or useful but are always quick to suck up your resources. We’ve had many such “weeds”. They take more break time than they should. They like to clock in when they’re not even working. They like to see how much free break food they can get over their allotted amount. They always want a raise without following the proper guidelines for achieving the reward. They want to work less but get paid more and have more benefits without putting in the time. Best of all they always have “great” comments about all the things they’d do to change things around here but won’t lift a finger to help accomplish any of these “great” ideas. They’re quick to point out everyone’s flaws and secretly make sure those they feel are their allies know about the other person’s flaws, just in case the team member next to them didn’t see those flaws. How thoughtful of them!

I could go on even more about these nutrient-sucking individuals. They do just this. They suck the life out of everyone around them and don’t produce any good fruit. Sometimes when these team members are just starting out, they are hard to recognize. When you plant seeds and they start to sprout, you can’t always tell what is the good plant and what is the weed. As they grow and as you care for your “garden” (your team, business, family etc.) you start to notice indications that these may not in fact be good seeds. They may be the very “weeds” that need to be pulled to help the good “plants” grow effectively.

I have had several of these toxic individuals. Once they start to show their true selves, it’s time to get your hands dirty and start gardening. You have to uproot the individual and send them their way if you want to have a productive environment and enjoy the fruits of your labor. If you don’t do the dirty work, you’ll have no fruitful garden and it gets overrun by the toxic environment created by these individuals. They suck the life right out of everyone next to them. Soon you have no good people because the good ones leave or they are poisoned by the “weed” mentality and they start acting and behaving like these toxic people.

Be the gardener, do the work, get your hands dirty. You didn’t do all this planning and investment for no reason. Spend a little time each day tending to your garden. When you see the weeds growing, pull them out immediately before the damage is done. You will be thankful you did the hard work when harvest season comes! So will those who are a part of your team.

Throw out the mocker, and fighting goes, too. Quarrels and insults will disappear. – Proverbs 22:10