by Jerry Edmon

When I was a teenager, I worked for a wholesale greenhouse. We supplied several businesses with live plants and maintained the plants for them. That was my job. The only problem was that I met a girl. And while I was suppose to be caring of the plants, I would rush in, water them, and quickly leave to spend the rest of the time with this girl. After a while it began to show. One day my boss came to me and said, “Jerry, if the plants are going to live, you are going to have to spend some time with them.” I never forgot those words. I later realized that if you are going to be the manager of a team, business, church, or family, you are going to have to spend some time with it. It cannot be a mechanical visit. Don’t ask me how, but somehow the plant knows. It loses its crisp look. It may live for a while, but its color isn’t vibrant. It just doesn’t look professional or kept. If you want to be successful at what you do, it will cost you time. There is no way around it. The more time you give it, the healthier it will look. But if you think that you can cut corners and cheat on your responsibilities, it won’t be long until everyone recognizes it.