Dear Customers and Friends:
I hope you are enjoying the warmer weather of springtime. It’s also the time of year when we witness the harvest of beautiful colors from the planting of many seeds.
In his business ethics book “Well Done”, author Ken Gosnell talks about the principle of sowing and reaping as a metaphor for seeding innovation. Companies that are not open to new ideas, Gosnell says, will see their potential shrink.
We find clues to this basic business principle in the biblical parable of the sower. In Matthew 13:4-8, Jesus tells a story about spreading seeds in four kinds of soil.
In the first one, birds ate up the seeds spread along an exposed path. Some seeds fell on rocky places with not enough soil to survive. A third area was
filled with thorns that choked the plants. But some seeds fell on good soil, producing a bountiful crop many times what was sown.
In business, Gosnell says we must explore numerous ideas to find the right product or solution to a problem. Not all ideas will pan out, but we will never know until we have the courage to think outside the box and innovate.
Like the sower parable, each new idea will find success or failure depending on where it lands.
• Stony Soil: Ideas that never take root are ones never implemented. That’s okay. We likely will need to consider dozens of ideas before finding the right one.
• Shallow Soil: Some ideas may seem to have merit at first but are short-lived and not the end solution. Don’t give up. Maybe they will lead to a better solution.
• Sticky Soil: The thorny soil is painful but still necessary. A failure can be good. Apple’s highly successful Mac computer went through seven years of failures before finally taking root.
• Super Soil: Patience is rewarded when you hit on an idea that becomes a game-changer. In 1903, the Wright brothers’ first powered flight lasted just 12 seconds, but their idea – backed by years of planning – went on to reap a harvest that changed the world.
So, take these lessons and inspiration from the Bible. Be open to new ideas in your business. Be patient and don’t be discouraged by weeds (distraction and discouragement). Spread good seeds (products, services, and people) and search for the best soil (new markets).
The Bible reminds us that we will reap what we sow. Therefore, go out and plant bountifully.
Blessed to be a Blessing,
Greg Syfan
President, Syfan Logistics