Growing Your Root Structure by Klemmer

Leaders are more interested in developing the root structure than the immediate visible results

There is a Chinese bamboo tree I have heard about, that when planted, you will see no growth for 90 days, then in a few short months grows 90 feet!

What it was doing prior to the explosive growth was putting down a root structure that would support its future growth.

In building the huge Sears tower in Chicago, they first went 100 feet down before they ever started building up.

Many times we invest effort in a business or relationship and we get impatient that there is no visible growth. The results we are working for just don't seem to be there. But often what's really happening is that we are changing in those hidden ways necessary to support our future results.

Growth is usually never a straight-line increase. In my experience, it's a series of intermittent increases or "growth spurts" and then plateaus.

Think of learning a sport. Most of your development occurs in leaps of getting better followed by lingering plateaus of staying at that same level (and those plateaus always seem to take too long). Near the end of your growth, it takes an incredible amount of effort and time to get those last, final, small increases in performance. It's those last small increases that separate the champions from the alsorans.

Take five minutes right now and list the ways you are investing in creating a foundation or root structure for your life and work.

Are you investing in a computer structure or accounting system that will allow you to expand? Are you investing time in extending your education in marketing, management, or technology that will allow you to grow bigger or faster?

Are you spending time developing your second layer of leadership? This is your greatest leverage. There is always a decrease in your personal production as you spend time developing other people. There needs to be a balance of both being done all the time.

Are you spending time in spiritual or inspirational studies that will give you a stronger, deeper foundation?

This week, outline a plan that will increase your root structure this year in a significant way.

TAKEAWAY! Building a Root Structure is often invisible, but is even more important than visible growth. Invest money and time in root structures to support your desired future growth and gains. And be patient!

Action Step #1

If your income suddenly became 10 times what it is now, what would you need to know to handle that increase? What would you need to know to profitably invest that much money? What resources would you need to protect that much money? Now, develop a study program to learn those things.

Action Step #2

Ask yourself: who do I want to be around and associating with in five years and who do I know who knows them that I can network with? Take a step this week to get to know someone who knows who you want to know. Spend time building your network of people that will get you to the people you want to be around in five years. Work on your willingness to have them in your network even sooner.

Build a Rolodex of successful people. Never let a month go by where you have not added at least one super achiever to your file of friends and associates.

List your top three business partnerships. This is your root structure. List one thing you are doing to develop your relationship with each one of your partners.

Now list three new people who you have not spent much time with who will be future partners. What can you do to increase the value of your relationship? You must grow the roots wide and deep to grow a 90′ bamboo tree.

"Ninety-nine percent of who you are is invisible and untouchable."–R. Buckminster Fuller