As a leader, you're likely facing more challenges than ever before. Between the rapid pace of technological change and shifting expectations in the workplace, leading a team today can feel like playing chess and checkers simultaneously. Each piece wants fair treatment, but every individual needs something unique from you. That's where servant leadership comes into play—a timeless concept that offers a powerful way to navigate modern leadership challenges.
When I first wrote Water the Bamboo, the original title was actually Bring Your Spirit to Work. While the final title shifted, I've always believed that bringing your spirit to work is at the heart of personal and professional growth. It's a mindset that can transform your career and the lives of those you interact with daily.
One of the concepts I'm passionate about is helping individuals and leaders manage their chaos and pain as they strive to water their bamboo. When it comes to change, things can get messy. I often say, "It's messy in the garden," and this idea perfectly encapsulates the process of planting and nurturing our dreams--but there will be weeds and dirt along the way we need to address.
We all carry emotional baggage with us from past experiences and relationships, which can hold us back from reaching our full potential. When giant timber bamboo grows, it sheds its outer layer to reach its full potential.
We need to do the same.
We must ask ourselves these questions to begin the process of shedding our outer layer, just like giant timber bamboo:
In 1939, there was a student by the name of George Dantzig running late for a statistics class at Cal Berkeley. He was about 20 minutes late and slipped into class unnoticed. He saw there were some problems on the board, so he wrote them down, assuming it was homework, then he continued to listen to the lecture. When he got home, he realized the homework problems were pretty challenging. Nevertheless, he took a few days and finished the problems and turned them in to his professor.
I’ve met many successful Bamboo Farmers throughout my life, many of which I interviewed on my podcast. What makes them so successful compared to someone who might not have the same level of success is that Bamboo Farmers water persistently.
Since he was a child, D’Wayne Edwards has had an incredible gift to draw what he sees. At age 17, he won a Reebok design competition, beating out professionals and college students nationwide. Since then, D’Wayne has built an incredible career and reputation as an elite designer and creative.
In this episode, you’ll hear D’Wayne’s Water the Bamboo story about how he built his career and eventually launched his own design school during a sabbatical at Nike.
Dawn Rasmussen knows that when something scares you bad enough, you should probably run towards it. And that’s what she encourages people to do when it comes to their careers.
Making a career change is scary and challenging for so many people, and this episode with Dawn Rasmussen will give you the energy and strength you need to progress or rebuild your career.
Cathey Armillas is a marketing strategist, presentation coach, author of The Unbreakable Rules of Marketing, and the How to ROCK a Ted Talk program, and in this episode, she joins Greg Bell for a tell-all discussion about Cathey’s career growth, why she leans into her uniqueness and encourages other to do the same, and shares speaking tips for listeners.
Marc Patrick began his career as a receptionist, answering and redirecting calls, and now he’s a global brand and marketing leader at Beyond Meat.
So, how did he get here?
In this episode, you’ll hear how Marc’s work ethic and Bamboo Circle played key roles in his career growth, and why he will never stop learning and growing.
Don’t miss this insightful conversation with one of the world’s brightest marketing leaders.
In this episode, you will hear from Pat Connaughton, a current NBA player with the Milwaukee Bucks, and former Portland Trailblazer shooting guard on how he used an ultimatum from his dad in high school about whether to work construction or train from 9 am to 3 pm to grow his sports career in baseball and basketball.
