There’s a tree on the trail that fell over some years ago, leaving just a stump behind. It has foliage around it, moss on the stump and a portion missing at the base. Maybe some would share that if asked what they see. To me, it also looks like a woman’s bootie. I have shoes like that, and this stump reminds me of them.

As leaders, we need to understand how people in the organization see things. That will allow for addressing concerns and making any necessary course corrections. After all, you won’t be able to persuade people if you don’t understand their perspective and address their concerns.

My starts are chugging along. I made some tweaks this year that have been game changers. But still, not everything is growing at the same rate. Some are very small while others need to be transplanted again. Varietal, light, heat, germination rate. Everything has an impact. Compared to last year, my starts are way ahead. Compared to each other is a different matter.

When we see statistics, it is helpful to ask “as compared to what?” And understand how good a comparison point the benchmark is.

My neighbors shared they were having some trees removed. It is something they have been concerned about as limbs were on their roof. I didn’t think through that the day of removal was also the day I had planned to write. Machine noises and concentration don’t go together well.

There are often events in business that we are aware of that conflict with planned work. One of the tricks is to make sure people are watching for them so work can be adjusted and disruptions avoided.

Last year, I tried growing vegetables from seed. I started them late and didn’t have once piece of equipment that helps them grow. This year, determined not to make the same mistake twice, I started them significantly earlier. And they are going to town! If the earlier warmer temperatures don’t materialize like predicted this year, I’ll be too early. Getting the timing right is a delicate balance I’m finding.

The same sort of thing happens in business. It’s hard to get timing exactly right when key elements are out of your control. Better to start early so you can adjust. Trying to make up for lost time is difficult, if not impossible.

There are streams that run through the park, requiring bridges to cross. But it isn’t just people that cross the bridges. Horses do too. And it is clear that they don’t always cross on the reinforced portion of the bridge, as evidenced by holes that get covered up by boards so others don’t get hurt stepping in the holes. A regular reminder to use the bridge as it was designed.

The same challenge exists in businesses. When something is used in a way that it was not designed for, damage can be done. Sometimes a new use presents itself. Changing uses should be done deliberately, with the full knowledge of the potential consequences.

Around the beginning of the year, The New York Times had an article about things to try. One of those things was adult paint by numbers. So, what the heck, I decided to give it a whirl. I haven’t painted in a while and thought it would be a good way to get back into it. Only, it turns out to be much harder and much more detailed.

The kit comes with brushes, a numbered canvas and paint. No instructions. Just pick a brush and match the number on the paint to the canvas. And there are a lot of very small parts to paint. The thing is, if you’ve painted before, you know part of it is learning to mix and blend paints. You learn how to use the brush to create different shapes. And you look at the big picture, not just the little area with the number on it.

The process was a good reminder of the challenges in business today. We give people a minute task to focus on, but they don’t know the big picture. And each piece stands alone rather than blending it in seamlessly to the rest. Without the proper training, the tool is used, but not in a way that it was designed to be used.

As it turns out, taking each piece individually and not being able to use the tools to the full potential of their design is much more time consuming and results in an inferior product.

The tree trimmers were recently cutting trees away from power lines. It seems that municipal code requires trees to be planted along roadways. And that means planting trees under power lines that need to be trimmed by the utility on a regular basis. A requirement that creates an ongoing downstream problem that has no resolution under current conditions.

These sorts of problems are found in business too. A requirement is established to address one issue. But, in a different department that requirement causes additional work that will continue indefinitely until the original requirement is changed. And oftentimes, the people dealing with the unintended consequence just keep doing the work and don’t question the new requirement. Which adds more cost and work.

The water in the stream was brown. An indication that a significant amount of dirt had been washed into the stream or a lot of erosion was occurring during the recent rains. But just a bit downstream, another stream fed in with perfectly clear water, mixing to make the water slightly less brown. Flowing through many little dams along the way down the stream helped, but there was just too much dirt to get cleaned out before it was beyond my line of sight.

Mixing the good in with the bad happens in business too. Sometimes the thinking goes that fixing just a part of a broken system or process will make things better. But when the good stuff gets mixed in, it usually just frustrates the people who are working with the good part, because they have to deal with the bad. And no matter how much new and good processes get added in, they can’t overcome the old stuff until it is removed. The bad is setting the pace and the expectations.