There are roses speckled with mildew and rust from fog carried on breath of El Nino. Weeds have taken over many patches of dirt, despite fact that I have gone over them with a hula hoe. (For non-gardener, that’s a triangular hoe which saves your back. Supposedly, you scrub away, loosening weeds –and anything else that stands in way—while leaving good soil behind.) The rogue cherry tomato plant however, has taken off … again. Sticky green arms with tiny green/yellow fruit now stretch in all directions. The plant was a gift from some bird who dropped a seed as it flew to a nest in pine tree. I didn’t think a cherry tomato would grow in a patch of adobe clay. My feathered seed sower proved me wrong.

What I must do to get my garden back in shape, to make it world class and ready for competitive eye of my next door neighbor, is exactly what every leader must do: seed, feed, and weed. How I perform seeding, feeding, and weeding depends upon season, unexpected turns of nature, and makeup of my garden. Walk with me through my garden and you’ll see analogies for our work world.

1.Consider “season”. In today’s 24-hour, global economy, it would appear that there is no season, nothing that distinguishes night from day. Grow, grow. Sell, sell. But smart leader watches sky, reads clouds, and can read when there are shifts to indicate a new season. Bring products to market at wrong time or introduce an idea without understanding timing, and “garden” can quickly resemble a piece of scorched earth.

2. Watch for trends. Read magazines like Executive Excellence, Fast Company and American Demographics. Subscribe to TrendLetter. Explore new planned communities and see how people are choosing to live. Study mail order catalogs. In these latter two areas, you’ll find a move toward “Main Street U.S.A.”. Sure, high- speed connections and technology are placed in home, but outside, new designs incorporate walking paths, close-at-hand stores, and alleyways connecting homes. Technology will be used for information, but technology backlash is for creating places of human, real-time interaction. Levenger’s, mail order catalog for unique office and library accessories, features rotary dial phones. The catalog copy reads “You don’t have to program it!”

The following vignette offers practical lessons for handling fear and resultant anxiety that come with unexpected and unwanted change. While this true-life situation occurred in clouds, concepts are very much grounded in reality. Its lessons can be carried into office, field, or home.

*****

Sunny skies, light winds, and gentle surf started yet another lovely Spring day in Southern California. Full of optimism, I boarded a flight bound for New Orleans by way of Denver and a major speaking engagement.

I never made it.

Snow intervened in Denver, delaying our 747 while nozzles spewed chemicals onto wings. The captain explained procedure as he walked back into cabin to visually inspect coating. Once airborne, he told us we’d hear landing gear go down for a second time as they checked mechanics. Finally off to New Orleans on Flight #1180.

Not.

A freak series of severe thunderstorms blew in from Texas, causing considerable jolting and bucking. The captain’s voice, calm and deliberate, explained each deviation as he attempted to discover a better routing. We couldn’t even get close. “I’m an old captain, not a bold captain”, he explained when he announced we’d be diverting to Birmingham, Alabama. The passengers literally applauded his honesty and his concern for our safety while we all silently and not-so-silently moaned our fate.

The only trouble with landing was that, for all intent and purpose, airport was closed. No jetway, no baggage handlers, merely last remnants of a night staff. The captain’s voice informed us he’d be coming through jet, out back stairs, and expected us to wait until his return at which time he’d tell us next steps in our journey. Birmingham was not this carrier’s hub.

One hundred-fifty people, many with small children, listened patiently when he returned and explained exiting procedure from aircraft, where we’d lodge, and when we’d meet and “have another go at it” in morning. Not one whimper or angry outburst arose. And true to his word, we all assembled after little sleep, no food, and for many, no change of clothes. We had now bonded in experience and called out to one another, laughing and sometimes gasping as still rocky air finally parted enough to bring us into New Orleans.

I lost significant income on that flight but I gained a strong metaphor for leadership principles in times of crisis and change. What captain and crew engendered, by their behavior, was confidence and trust.

The word ‘trust” serves as an acronym for understanding exactly what happened on this trip and what all leaders must do in today’s turbulent business environment.

T: Tell truth and reveal feelings. Information abounded on Flight #1180. People deserve and need plenty of information about what’s happening, why it’s happening, and what are next steps-- even if those next steps are to stop, take stock, and develop next plan of attack. And information has to be immediate. Waiting while rumor mill churns out various versions of “the truth” creates anxiety, second-guessing, and sometimes panic. None of these are conducive for productivity or morale. Respond quickly, honestly to every rumor that surfaces. Create a “heat sheet” (e-mail and hard copy) that can serve as a one-page update on rumors.