Changing your Environment

Before and After!

January 2019, I tied my boots together and threw them over the powerline to hang for eternity. This signified the culmination of my time serving in the Army and the people of the United States of America. Life was good and about to get better. I was living in Hawaii and had a great job lined up working in the civilian sector. For the first time in 32 years, I would no longer wear an alligator suit because I traded it in for a Brooks Brother suit. Little did I know, my plan was not God’s plan and life was going to head in a completely different direction. 

 My father passed away just two weeks after my official retirement date. This meant my plans had to be put on pause. The estate laws in South Carolina are crazy. Probate is mandated for a minimum of 8 months. I moved back to South Carolina to put my father’s affairs in order and to prepare his 75-year-old home for sale. It was a huge undertaking. Darius Rucker has a line in one of his songs that says, “when was the last time you did something for the first time?” Let me tell you, I did a lot of things for the first time in my first year of my retirement. 

 14 months after moving back to South Carolina, we finally cleared probate, sold my father’s home, and said our final goodbyes to the inanimate objects that held our emotional attachment to the past. This also meant I was now homeless once again with yet another move in my immediate future. Living like a hobo with all of his belongings tied to the end of a stick, I began my quest for my forever home. I found it in a craftsman style home located near a beautiful golf course. This was the perfect place for me. Prior to my purchase, the house was empty for a year and now badly in need of some TLC. Let the adventure begin. 

The yard was of particular concern. During my first observations, the lawn was overgrown and covered with every type of weed imaginable, which had me feeling both overwhelmed and frustrated. I owned the home now and doing nothing was not an option. I laced up my old matadors and went to work. I admit that I started with no real plan other than to clean out everything. This decision made me even more frustrated because the more I worked, the less fruits I saw from my labor. Realizing I was a little out of my element, I hired a landscape design expert to guide me through the revitalization project. Her initial advice was:

 Weeds

 Keep them in place but cut and place them in a bag weekly so they don’t spread.  On the surface, they may not seem like they serve a purpose but they are helping to hold the lawn together while your grass becomes strong enough to carry the load on its own. While they are ugly and distract your eyes from the beauty of your lawn, they do serve a much-needed purpose during this transformation phase. As you create a healthier environment for your grass, the weeds will no longer be able to keep up. They will simply slowly fade away. 

 Grass

There are bad spots but you have some healthy areas. Feed and water your grass regularly. Let the grass grow and only cut it when necessary. You should give the grass room to grow. Even when the weather begins to cause a measured amount of stress, below the surface the roots will grow stronger and more resilient. Your healthy grass will eventually overcome and replace the weeds for their temporary purpose is no longer needed. Fertilize but don't kill the weeds. While the weed killer will rid you of that ugly weed problem, your grass may become victim to the toxicity of pesticides. If you create a healthy environment for continued growth, your grass will grow strong and aggressively spread across your lawn.  

Trees and Shrubs

 Lets develop a plan to incorporate these into a landscape design to maximize your space and protect your yard from the environment. Once we get everything in place, don’t micromanage your yard. Instead, let it grow naturally and keep a close eye on its need for water when thirsty and food when hungry but don’t stifle its ability to become resilient to the elements on its own. 

After 180 days, the transformation was astounding. The weeds became overwhelmed by my newer and healthier than ever grass. The trees, bushes, and plants are now thriving in this new well fertilized, watered and landscaped environment. My days working in the yard are not nearly as long and arduous. I simply provide love and support while sipping on my frothy cold beverage of choice.   

I spent almost three decades leading organizations big and small. The Army provided me incredible leadership training but I had no idea this training would help me to revitalize a neglected lawn. Changing your environment and/or an organization’s culture doesn’t happen overnight and doesn’t happen by accident. Your actions must be the result of a well thought out and intentional plan designed to change the environment to one that is fertile to promote continued growth in order to realize the beauty hidden beneath the weeds.  

If you are in a new organization struggling to build your team, call your local landscaper for a little leadership 101.

-TSS