So last night I was in the garden watering some plants. After some hot days, some of them were looking rather exhausted, their leaves drooping toward the ground.
Half an hour later and with a glass of wine in hand, the same plants had perked up (and so had I), their leaves now pointing up proudly toward the light. I don’t spend all my time on the lookout for easy metaphors (honest!) but it did cross my mind how small actions can make a big difference, even more so when those actions are repeated over time. In the case of watering plants, it actually only works when done little and often.
We often see the world described in the media as facing seismic change. The words are written large. Big change is necessary in so many areas of our lives; global warming, the world of work, technology, education. But it can all seem very daunting presented as a gigantic mountain to climb, the summit a very long way off and goals seemingly out of reach.
We can really only focus on small actions that we can take now that can make a difference. Those actions repeated over time will compound and produce huge change.
So the time to start is now. And the action to start with is probably the smallest. Maybe it’s a walk instead of a car ride, or a washing-up liquid refill instead of another plastic bottle. Environmental concern needs to translate into some actions.
But the same principle applies in our professional lives.
At DMA Partners we work with major brands, developing their B2B marcomms. Our experience has taught us that those who win over the long term are those that keep going, that keep communicating, almost always opting for good, effective and regular over potential perfection. Small actions do really compound over time.
As for my plants, my gardener friend has assured me that they will grow to over 1 metre within a year. Assuming that they get watered regularly of course.