We Never Know the Seeds We Plant

Maybe 10 years ago, I was asked to coordinate our department’s summer intern program. It was a little atypical as the students we were interviewing were in a special accelerated program at a local university and were rotating semesters between school and work assignments. So for two years, me and my friend Dan found ourselves in charge of interviewing, hiring and placing students in our 50 person department.

We talked beforehand and both agreed that we wanted these rotations to be more meaningful for the students and so we would avoid things like letting people ask them to fetch coffee or catch up on the backlog of filing. We wanted them to come away richer from the experience. And, as a part of that philosophy, Dan and I instituted Coffee Tuesdays when our interns would come in early and our group would meet for coffee and talk about how the past week had gone and then bring up some broader professional topics that we thought would be helpful.

Fast forward to today and one of those former interns reached out and asked if we might get lunch. Eager to catch up and see where life had taken him, I readily agreed and we arranged for lunch not long ago. And, no surprise, this talented young intern had become a successful young executive and was living a happy, successful life.

However, he brought me up a little short when, as we were catching up, he repeated some advice I’d given him back when he was a student. He had not only listened at the time but remembered it and put it into practice, and he was kind enough to say that it had helped him in his career.

I certainly recognized the advice – and still agreed with it – but, tellingly, I had long since forgotten that I’d shared that insight with him and certainly had no appreciation that it had taken root so deeply with this young man. I was frankly humbled that anything I had shared was not only listened to but had benefited another person so profoundly.

After lunch, that revelation got me to thinking about the countless conversations I have had with people over the years and wondering what good (or bad) seeds I may have planted and not realized it. We all affect our world, or at least our part of it, but I think we’re often blind to the repercussions.

Thankfully, in this case, Dan and I were very intentional in our efforts to make these internships meaningful and positive for our students, so we had that perspective in our words and actions. But what about the more “normal” interactions we have each day? Could a careless word or comment plant an unwanted seed in someone’s mind that we had never intended? Absolutely. And I can certainly share other stories where I didn’t do so great a job in talking with someone and those bad seeds came to light months or even years later.

Still, my goal with this post isn’t to make us all paranoid and avoid talking with one another. But it is an excellent reminder that our words and actions can and will have an impact, and that it’s a good idea to pause from time-to-time to at least question if what we’re saying is leading others in the direction we hope for them.

I have no doubt that my younger self would be pleasantly surprised to know that his advice was not only heard but remembered – and acted upon – ever since they were uttered. Still, it leaves me hoping that whatever other seeds I’ve planted in my life are helping people to grow and become better versions of themselves. It’s something to think about.

Know that I’m pulling for you!