The grass does not grow faster when you pull it
An African proverb goes, “The grass does not grow faster when you pull it”. Trying to make grass grow by pulling its blades kills the grass. First, the blade extends a little bit, especially if it is fresh grass, but by pulling a little harder, it tears off. It does not grow, instead it dies.
The same happens whenever the leadership of an organization tries to put pressure on people to make them grow. It finally kills the people. It kills their motivation, their health, and sometimes even their lives. Sustainable personal growth needs personal commitment and inner motivation. The leadership can only create a healthy environment to support the individual’s growth process by providing encouragement, vision and training, but leadership cannot force people to grow. It needs intrinsic motivation to ensure continuous healthy growth according to the individuals’ strengths, skills and gifts. According to (Wlodkowski, 1999, Enhancing adult motivation to learn) promoting learning among adults is most possible through culturally responsive teaching based on intrinsic motivation.
“For the servant leader, the main reason for leading is to help other people win”, ((Kouzes & Posner, 2004, Christian reflections on the leadership challenge, p. 104). Helping people to win means helping them to grow. That is not possible by pulling or pushing, but only by encouraging their heart, enabling them to act and praying for them, as Jesus did.
In the Bible (Isa 42:3), it says about the coming Christ “A bruised reed he will not break”. Instead, Jesus Christ, the ultimate servant leader, came to heal the human brokenness. Trying to heal hurt and broken people, and bringing them back to healthy growth, is an outcome of the servant leader’s commitment to the growth of the followers.