Digging In The Dirt - Walking The Rows

Digging in the Dirt - Walking the Rows

EVERY EVENING during the summer, just after dinner, my dad would head out to the garden. He’d often invite me to keep him company on his journey as he walked the rows. After years of such meandering, I finally asked him why we toured the garden on such a regular basis. He said, “We can’t see the weeds from the kitchen window.”

It’s the same in our work, is it not? Whether we work in an office—where we’re divided by rank, department, or business unit—or at home, where we’re usually outnumbered two or three to one, we work independently and sometimes even at cross-purposes to one another. Unintentionally we close ourselves off from others in the name of productivity. We’re focused on getting our work done. In reality, our most important contribution might be walking the rows and actually having a conversation. Texting and e-mail are often counterproductive to solving problems.

Regardless of one’s job title or experience, walking the rows is critical to identifying weeds. You may have heard of the business concept of “management by walking around.” While this is a sound leadership principle, I don’t think it should be reserved only for managers. I think we all, regardless of our title or responsibility, should walk the rows and talk to find new ways to solve an age-old problem: effective communication. People don’t wake up every morning and go to work with the intention of making your life miserable (although sometimes they’re so good at it you swear they must have a graduate degree in the study). Nor do your kids’ teachers or your fellow moms in the car pool line spend time plotting a way to get under your skin. No, they’re just in the same preservation mode as you.

If you’re perplexed by someone’s behavior, visit with him or her to learn what is driving that person’s decision making. It might give you the fresh insight you need to address problems that everyone else has long given up on. The most successful workers are the ones who are willing to adopt and solve problems that are not necessarily their own or of their own making.

Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. (1 Corinthians 12:14)

When is the last time you stepped out of your cube or your front door and walked the rows?