The Time We Save vs. The Growth We Miss

The leaves filled the yard for the third time in three weeks, and the grass was still growing. I had about an hour and a half before the Packer game started - no time to waste!

My first instinct was to quickly head outside and drive the riding lawnmower at NASCAR speed to ensure I was done in plenty of time to watch the game.

On my way out, I noticed Jack using his Oculus VR headset, and I paused.

Jack still has to use crutches as his Perthes hip heals, so he hasn’t spent much time outside since we brought the pontoon in for winter storage.

I had a thought, what if I taught him how to cut the grass on the riding lawnmower?

It took a little coaxing to get him to go outside, and he seemed a little hesitant, but once we got out there, he was eager to learn.

We agreed on the type of hearing protection he would wear, and I gave him a quick tutorial. He then did a test run in the cul-de-sac and asked if he could start in the backyard because it’s a little more open.

The first couple of passes were pretty slow as he got used to the throttle and steering, but then he sped it up a little and navigated the fence and playset with ease as he gained confidence. We called it a day after that, and the smile on his face said it all.

Later, Heather noted that he seemed proud of his accomplishments and pleased that the neighborhood kids were watching him, especially after nearly a year of their attention focusing mainly on his crutches.

When I asked later if he liked it, in regular Jack fashion, he said no unless he gets paid 😂 💰!

As I think back on the experience, I need to keep looking for those areas where teaching the kids how to do certain tasks will benefit them and benefit Heather and me. It might take longer at the start, but sometimes you need to make those investments to get a longer-term payoff, not to mention quality time with your kids.

The same lesson holds true at work. If we always do things ourselves because it's faster, we can unintentionally become the bottleneck and limit the development of our teams.

The next time you're tempted to do something yourself because it's faster, ask yourself what growth you might be missing out on by not taking the time to teach someone else so they can….

Learn In The Flow Of Life

….and you can too!!!

Jason