Genetically Wired for Growth

For decades I have run the lake trail about Lake Fairfield in Sapphire, NC. It started in 1973 when my wife and I were counselors at Camp Merrie Woode, a girl’s camp on the edge of Lake Fairfield nestled against the waterfall that flows into the lake. As of the writing of this book, we have been connected to Camp Merrie Woode for fifty years, so I have run the trail more times than I can count.

When you cross the bridge over the waterfall the trail is under a beautiful canopy of hardwoods and pines for the next mile until you cross the dam at the far end of the lake. Not far after the bridge, the trail makes a steep decline down the mountain and then flattens out to run alongside the lake.

It was a warm summer day about twenty-five years ago when I reached the bottom of the steep decline, jumped over a stream flowing across the trail, and saw something I had never seen before. Next to the trail, a small hardwood seedling had sprouted, grew about 3 inches, and then turned sideways and grow 2 feet parallel to the group. Then, it abruptly turned again and started growing vertical toward a small opening of light in the dense canopy above it. It was a fascinating sight.

It wasn’t until a few years later that I discover what the tree was doing. Plants, it seems, are genetically wired for growth. Within plants, there are four key hormones that support health plant growth. One of those hormones is called auxins. If you have never heard the word auxins, you’re not alone. Unless you are a horticulturist or a language geek, there’s a good chance the word won’t come up in group conversation. Auxin comes from the Greek word auxano, which means “to grow or increase. The noun version of the word means, “that which helps something grow.”

As it turns out, auxins are essential to the development of the whole plant - stem growth, root growth, leaf growth, and fruit growth. If a young tree is blocked from the sun, it’s most important food source, auxins will gather on one side of the young seedling and begin bending it toward an opening in the canopy where it can find the sun. Once it finds an opening to the sunlight, the auxins disperse and the young tree begins growing vertically again. That’s what the young plant next to the trail was doing. Auxins were at work pushing the plant to its food source, the sun. Here’s what that means in layman’s terms, plants are genetically wired for growth. It is in their DNA. (To discover more about auxins, check out the Wikipedia page or type in “auxins” in the search bar. You can read for hours.)

We believe that humans, just like plants, are genetically wired for growth. It is in our DNA. Understanding this characteristic of humans is essential for building a workforce that thrives in a rapidly changing world. When leaders create a work environment that ignites our human drive for growth, people become more emotionally engaged and invested in the work they do every day. When leaders create a process to help people grow in their role, the level of engagement doubles or triples.

Helping people grow in their role and their career is the secret to Leading Humans in a world that is increasingly technology driven.