Echoes from the Ancient Wood: Cultivating Timeless Leadership
January 8, 2024 | Safwen Daghsen, 4 min read
A mythic letter to leaders — written through the eyes of an ancient forest. A reminder that true leadership nurtures, listens, and weaves unseen harmonies.
A few years ago I wrote Never love the company unless it’s VEED. I thought this one was going to be part II.
Well, it is not.
This is a letter to be forwarded to whom it may concern through time and space.
Words of a fallen Jedi refusing to join the dark force.
— — —
Dear Chief Executive Officer
They didn’t call it “The Tree of Life” without reason.
As the old tree once said:
“In stillness and mindfulness, your path shall reveal itself”
Remember, a forest’s demise begins when its spirit wanes, a truth I’ve echoed once and shall echo again.
If we take trees as individual contributors, the lifeblood of an organization with clouds as the overseers also known as management (a word I never loved but necessary in this context).
Rainfall is essential, yet not the sole sustainer of life, too much water intoxicates our arboreal kin just as too little sun dims the vitality.
To have the clouds ruling the sky all the time is by no means a healthy thing. In nature, seasons change, again for a reason and constant clouds overshadow the necessary sunlight; nature’s rhythm demands balance
Trace back to a forest’s inception — a few saplings and fresh soil.
Surviving the test of time, these trees mature, enriching the earth, and purifying the air. The new saplings, shall be inspired by the towering elders, and grow bold and grounded in their legacy.
« Ancient trees provide food and shelter for thousands plants, animals and fungi, including many rare and threatened species. »
The forest’s heart lies in those ancient proud and towering trees. Their mere presence is a testament to resilience, nurturing, and guiding the young ones
They are bearers of everything the forest stands for, teaching endurance, standing the ordeal of time, and surviving through storms and droughts.
They are the guardian of values and culture if one must explicitly say.
You don’t cut off your ancient trees.
Clouds, in their lofty realm, hold the reins of nurture and protection.
A constant downpour drowns, and perpetual drought withers.
They have the power to shade the trees from the scorching sun, and to shower them with life-giving rain. They indeed hold the magnificent interplay between the sky and the earth. Too much rain obscures the sun, hindering growth, and suffocating innovation. Conversely, scarce rain leaves the trees parched for guidance and support.
Clouds anticipate and adapt, preparing the forest for what lies ahead, and in the silent understanding between its earth and sky, between the grounded strength of our trees and the adaptive oversight of our clouds, the forest finds its harmony through its final magical element.
Whether you believe in magic is moot but a forest without its spirit is nothing but a hollow shell.
The spirit of a forest as you might have guessed, is leadership. The unseen force, the gentle breeze spreading seeds, the sunlight nurturing growth, the shadow fostering diversity and weaves the richness of the woodland
If the spirit chases only sunshine, forsaking old and young trees alike, making clouds believe storms are the only way. What becomes of the forest then? Lost and directionless, under the tyranny of fearful, control-hungry clouds.
True leadership listens — to the silent wisdom of ancient trees and the subtle concerns of the clouds. It breathes life, casting a calming breeze that restores balance and peace.
A hollow leadership, devoid of its essence turns dry and mechanical: bulldozers, saws, and wildfires, blindly destroying, making clouds pouring toxic rain down from above.
In humanity’s arrogance, they once said, “No need to panic, it’s only a tree.”
Yet, my concern lies not with me
After all, I’m just a tree.
Nature has its magical way of healing
As night falls
I pray
That the spirit finds its way
This is not emotional. This is solely poetic but seriously send that letter you may save a forest or at least plant seeds of liberation.
And let us end with an echo from Bob Dylan
The tree of life is growing where the spirit never dies, and the bright light of salvation shines in dark and empty skies.