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politics of trees. To be your best in the politics of trees,
it is important to be an effective influencer. But first you
need to become an effective leader.
Reflect for a moment on some of the leaders who have
influenced you on your journey to where you are today.
From as far back as you can remember, there have been
leaders impacting you. You could create a list of attri-
butes that those individuals had in common. The one
attribute we are looking to shed light on is this: leaders
do not wait for others to follow them.
Many aspiring leaders make the mistake of thinking that
there is a destination they must reach, a milestone they
must attain before they are taken seriously, followed,
and declared "the leader." That's backwards thinking;
it is actually the opposite. The destination is right here,
right now. The reward of having people follow you
begins the moment you accept the nearest burden and
are the first to pick it up and begin moving it. Your
action then inspires the next person to help, which will
inspire the next and the next.
The destination is
right here, right now.
A B
(above) Cherry blossom on
pavement. Photo by
Rick Harper.
John McNeil is a Past
President of SMA and
serves on MFI's
Teaching Cadre.
(below) Photo by
Michelle Sutton
