First Test

Leadership often looks easy from the outside. People see the title, the responsibilities, and the authority that come with being in charge. What they don’t always see is the moment when someone decides to test that authority for the first time.

When I became Nursery Manager at Baucum Nursery in North Little Rock, Arkansas, I knew that day would eventually come. I just didn’t know when.

Advice That Stayed With Me

Before taking the position, I once asked Tommy Williams, the District Forester in Hardy and my supervisor, how he handled employees who questioned his decisions.

His answer was surprisingly simple.

“It never occurs to me that they wouldn’t follow my directions.”

That response stayed with me throughout my career.

What Tommy meant wasn’t that employees never disagreed. His point was that a manager shouldn’t waste time worrying about problems that haven’t happened yet. Give reasonable directions, expect people to do their jobs, and if someone refuses, deal with it then—not beforehand.

It was practical advice.

Soon enough, I had the opportunity to put it into practice.

The Youngest Person in Charge

When I arrived at Baucum Nursery, I was the youngest employee on the staff.

That would become a familiar experience throughout much of my career until I eventually moved to Alaska.

The people working for me had years of experience producing tree seedlings. In many ways, they knew far more about nursery operations than I did. Fortunately, I learned quickly that listening to experienced people was usually the smartest decision a manager could make.

Because of that, we consistently met our production goals.

But eventually every manager faces a difficult conversation.

Mine came sooner than expected.