"Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago."
Oftentimes the people who planted the tree at the time were the least appreciated.
Many years ago when I was managing a resort, I thought that more hotels, restaurants and other related facilities should be established inside a former military base.
I not only encourage people to put up more hotels and restaurants but willingly share my varied experience of preparing feasibility studies and putting up a pre-opening team.
There was even a time I allowed someone with zero knowledge to be trained in various aspects Resort & Hotel operations.
Some of my department heads and employees who could not appreciate my vision of a prosperous and dynamic holiday destination were of course resentful that we were training people who would eventually become our competitors.
To cut the long story short, this former military base is now a popular holiday destination with many hotels, restaurants and other tourism-related facilities.
This development has offered many former employees great career choices and career mobility.
In a recent visit of place, I was so pleased to see many of my employees holding leadership position in many of these establishments.
The most gratifying feeling is being told that they had benefited from the decision I made.
I don’t know if those trees planted have turned into a huge forest.
In life we usually benefit from the ‘break/breaks’ others provide us.
If we in turn give others similar breaks, we accelerate the growth of others.
Only then we can speak confidently about trees turning into a healthy, sustainable ecosystem that is mutually beneficial for all.