Grubbing for Change ...
Grubs have been out in force this year. Areas of our lawn that once had verdant grass are literally dust patches. The hardest hit was a patch spanning the front yard, totaling about 75 square feet. It did not happen without a fight. With ammunition supplied by the agrochemical industry, I fervently defended the turf. I managed to halt the grub's progress two weeks ago, but not before a third of the lawn was devoured, and have been desperately seeding and fertilizing dirt patches in a sincere effort to cover up the carnage.
Three days ago, I realized that a section of lawn, stretching from the front door to the driveway, was so far gone it needed to be raked up and the top soil replaced if grass was to grown there again. I started raking with the intent of replacing the lawn that once was. It soon become evident, by the thriving and shocking large grub population still in residence, that raking would not be enough. Up until this point, I viewed the dirt patches as areas of dead grass that needed to be replaced. Grass had grown there before (with difficulty, even before the grubs) and, without thinking about it, I was working hard to re-establish this precedent. I was focusing narrowly on recreating the past (what was) at the expense of other, more valuable, potential futures (what could be).
Out came the shovel, which was followed by several brick salvage ventures and a bit of research. As of today, I am half way through building a brick walkway that connects the driveway and the front door.
This story is not unique, many people replace patches of dead lawn with brickwork. What I find interesting is that the brick walkway probably would not have materialized without the grub infestation and the journey from grub killing and re-seeding to building a walkway was surprisingly long. It sometime pays to run with your destruction or dismantling and take ownership, it is a great way to practice de-anchoring.
In business, imposed and / or unsolicited change is often perceived as destructive, especially when it involves loss. Moreover, it is generally understood that destruction is negative, something to be avoided. There are many instances when the perceived destruction associated with change is only negative because the mental models of those involved are not willing to change. This negativity occurs because the individuals and / or groups involved are threatened by perceived loss, and blind to future opportunity.
Grubbiness is in the mind of the beholder …
Originally published May 17, 2008