Are you an oak tree or a bamboo?

In the context of crisis and pressure do you stand firm like a resilient strong oak tree or do you bend and flex and bounce back like bamboo? 

Understanding what type of resilience works for you is fundamental to navigating times of change and after the rollercoaster of the pandemic this is a great time to reflect on your style and approach.

Change is perhaps the only constant in life and the last eighteen months of the global pandemic has made it the normal state for most businesses as we navigated a new disease, changing science and guidelines for risk reduction.

For the last decade there has been an increasing narrative within the workplace health, wellbeing and development space on personal and organisational resilience.

When I think about resilience I see it as a spectrum of behaviours that help us navigate times of stress and change and as adaptive leaders we play up and play down different elements but at the heart we are either oak trees or bamboos.

Oak trees are thick solid plants that are resilient by having strong foundations, a clear stance and although the smaller branches may bend and flex the core remains static and strong.

'Storms make the oak grow deeper roots' - George Herbet

Using the analogy of the oak tree could be perceived as a stuck in the mud approach or something that is old fashioned or 'traditional' but oak trees offer shelter and stability and a sense of reassurance.

'Giant oak trees... have deep root systems that can extend two-and-one-half times their height. Such trees rarely are blown down regardless of how violent the storms may be.' - Joseph B. Wirthlin 

Being an Oak tree can be an incredible resilience strategy for a leader during times of change. Rooting deeply into your core values and beliefs to keep you stable and anchored is an important skill set. By having this strong trunk built on these foundations and broad branches across your environment provides a visible landmark of leadership during the change. 

For the staff in your team being an oak tree can be powerful to shelter others during change. Your strong sense of purpose, values and the stability that you offer under the branches of your leadership can help others find a safe space to shelter or a space to reflect and learn.

“Under the stillness of an old tree - 

a monk sits in silence, 

the oak sheds it's leaves.” 

― Meeta Ahluwalia

Oak trees are often impacted by change, their branches bear scars and sometimes their shape is fundamentally shifted by major disruptions like lightening that strikes to their core, but if the foundation is strong they continue to grow and remain standing.

Being an oak tree is also a symbol of learning and experience, that the strong foundations and clear identity is something that can provide a useful form of resilience for change and leadership in uncertain times.

Being a bamboo leader is perhaps at the other end of the spectrum of leadership.

'The young bamboo can be easily bent, but the full grown bamboo breaks when it is bent with force.'

– Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.

Bamboo trees are tall thin and bend with the wind, often to extreme degrees, and then bounce back to the original position. However as bamboo ages it becomes more rigid and less flexible and the way that it bends changes and deepens into a learnt direction.

Bamboo leaders are very flexible, although like oak trees they have strong roots in values and beliefs that anchor them. But a bamboo leader is narrow and direct, their span of movement is often in one direction which can be expedient and efficient during times of change but may not provide the transformation that is needed to anchor beyond the change. 

Bamboo can flex in any direction and flex easily in the direction of change but once the pressure has ended they spring back into the original form. This can present a challenge for those managing change if leaders simply flex and bounce back to where they were before without evolving.

There is a Japanese proverb that says

'The bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists.' 

However I would argue that as adaptive leaders we have much to learn from the Oak and there are times when it is better to be a strong oak that weathers the storms of change and provides shelter and stability than to bend and spring back without being changed by the experience.

Ultimately leadership is about adaptability and so I encourage you to reflect on the inspiration and alignment of your resilience, particularly after the pandemic, for your leadership journey ahead.

'Study the teachings of the pine tree, the bamboo, and the plum blossom. The pine is evergreen, firmly rooted, and venerable. The bamboo is strong, resilient, unbreakable. The plum blossom is hardy, fragrant, and elegant.'

Morihei Ueshiba