Leadership Lessons From a Peace Lily

I thought I was being smart and put this peace lily (Spathiphyllum) out in the porch to get some good sun. It did not take long for it to start looking sad. The leaves were dull and it was not flowering. I watered it, put some manure and generally did all that I could to make it revive. Hoping that it would eventually look like the healthy peace lilies I admired. It did not work!

Then one day my daughter informed me that I should not put it in direct sunlight. What would a girl (mwana wa ikwau a child of last night) who grew up in Nairobi, the concrete jungle, know about plants? Well, I went by her word and looked for a spot where it would not be in direct sunlight and put it there. Lo and behold! A few days later the leaves started getting their shine back and it started flowering.

As I wrote this piece I did a random search on peace lilies:

Peace lily (Spathiphyllum wallisii) is a popular, low-maintenance house plant with glossy, green leaves and white flowers called spathes. Native to Central America, it thrives in a warm, humid environment and is perfect for growing in a bright bathroom. Peace lilies are easy to grow and relatively trouble-free. (https://www.gardenersworld.com/house-plants/how-to-grow-peace-lily/)

Clearly my daughter knew a thing or two about this plant that I did not know. Had I argued with her, because I grew up in the village tending tomatoes and kales all my youth, I would have missed the beauty that this plant has now become.

As I reflected on this little incident here’s what I came up with:

• We can learn from people who are much younger than ourselves
• We should not allow what we imagine we know to block trying out new ways of doing things
• You cannot give what you do not have – I first heard this from Fr. Martin Keane, CSSp at the St. Paul’s Catholic Chaplaincy UoN and it really struck deep. For instance, if you do not know you need to fill the knowledge gap by hearing it from those who know better or reading about it. Unfortunately, sometimes (perhaps many times) we do not know that we do not know, and I think that is tragic.
• We might not flourish because the environment we are in is not right for us (The story of the ugly duckling, anybody?) unlike my plant that could not take itself out of the space I had put it we as human beings do have the possibility of moving away. We also have the ability to create the reality we desire. So, for instance, if you cannot remove yourself from the circumstances you do not like, you can create a climate that cushions you (protects you) from the source of discomfort. Much like wearing a hat in the sun or using an umbrella or raincoat in the rain.