A tree and you

A tree and you

Picture a tree, any tree.

Trees are made up of the roots, a trunk, the branches and the leaves. Sometimes or during certain seasons, we might even have fruits on the tree. Every tree is unique and is conditioned to survive in the various locations where they are.

You

Your tree is huge. It can be anything you want it to be. But most importantly, it is a personification of what you represent.

The Roots

They serve as a source of life for the tree. Once planted, it begins to grow downwards first – the root finds its way down and begins to spread out, draw water and nutrients from the earth and give stability to it.

The roots spread out in various directions in obedience to the genetic code or DNA of the seed in a move to do the “job description” stated above.  Once regular food and water is supplied to the plant, it begins to sprout.

You

Once you get an idea on a project and have decided to go ahead with it, you have broken it down into the various subsets and begin to get information on the subsets – just like there are many roots and each go in different directions in the soil to get nutrition and water for the tree.

The Trunk

Some tree have extremely long trunks while others are short-trunked but no matter what the length of the trunk is, trunks are an inevitable parts of any tree. They support the leaves and the branches of the tree and also contain the xylem, the cambium, the phloem, and the heartwood.

You

The trunk is your core competence or what you are known for. If you say golf, Tiger Woods come to your mind. Now Tiger is involved in many other things – endorsements, charity etc but still none of these competes with Golf.

* Heartwood—inner core of dead wood that supports the tree. As a tree grows, older xylem cells in the center of the tree become inactive and die, forming the heartwood.

You

Your heartwood is your experiences. Once you have gone through them, the older experiences – successes, failures, disappointments become something in your past that may act as support for you when you face any future challenges

* Sapwood (Xylem)

This is the youngest layer of wood that transports water and minerals up the tree to the branches and the leaves.

You

This is like your newest project achievement. It drives your output by making sure you use the information your ”roots” are deriving from your environment.

* Cambium

The growing layer that is only one to two cells thick. It makes new cells during the growing season that eventually become part of the phloem, part of the xylem, or more cambium. The cambium is what makes the trunk, branches, and roots grow larger in diameter.

* Inner Bark

This carries nutrients and sugar from leaves down the tree to its branches, trunk, and roots.

You

This is your feedback mechanism. You need to send feedback to and anything needed to your organization.

* Outer Bark

The outer bark protects the tree from injury, disease, insects, and weather.

You

Your outer bark is the measures you take to protect yourself, business or project – Insurance, intellectual property, contract and whatever protects you.

* Leaves

The leaves are the food factories of any tree. They contain chlorophyll which gives leaves their green color and is responsible for photosynthesis. During photosynthesis, leaves use energy from the sun to convert carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and water from the soil into sugar and oxygen. The sugar is either used or stored in the branches, in the trunk, or in the roots. The oxygen is released into the atmosphere.

You

This your contact with the outside world – the interfaces via which you use all the things at your disposal to achieve your main aim (profit if you are a business person)

* Annual Tree Rings

They record the tree’s age. Every year a tree grows a little more and a new tree ring is made.

You

This is nothing your age. Every year you celebrate your birthday just like a tree does with a new ring.