This was sent via email (From a subscription to Jongordon.com). I love the analogy. Too often we laser focus on the fruits and not the roots…

The Root of Success

There once was a tree that produced an abundant supply of fruit.

Everyone marveled at its ability to produce a record harvest each year.

The owner who sold his fruit at the local market had become one of the wealthiest men in town and he was the envy of all who knew him.

However, as the years passed the owner spent so much of his time counting and selling his fruit that he forgot to nourish the root.

He became so prideful and focused on results that he neglected to see the signs that the tree was dying.

Then one day when the owner went to pick fruit from his tree he was shocked to discover that the tree was barren.

“How could this be,” he asked?

But when he inspected the root he found his answer.

The root had dried up.

He was so focused on the fruit that he neglected the root.

He wished there was something he could do but it was too late.

It was a lesson he would never forget!

How about you? Do you focus on the numbers, the outcomes and the fruit?

Or do you focus on the purpose, people, innovation, culture and root of your success.

Always remember the amount of fruit we produce is just an outcome and measurement of how well we are nurturing our root.

If we take care of our root we’ll always have an abundant supply of fruit.

Ignore the root and say goodbye to the fruit.