“Nothing grows under the banyan tree.”

It provides shade and is comfortable, but it allows no sun in for growth. Many leaders are banyan trees, they protect their people, but nothing grows under them.

As I ponder this statement I think it all boils down to confidence in who we are as leaders. Those who have a good sense of who they are know where their strengths and weaknesses lie and what it takes to fill in for those weaknesses. Those who don’t – well, Liz Wizeman calls them “Diminishers” and that title alone is pretty self-explanatory.

With a healthy sense of who we are as leaders we can encourage and grow those around us without feeling insecure, but it all starts with you. Take time today to look around you, at the relationships in your organization and your role in them, if you are the leader. Are the people around you growing and flourishing with your encouragement or are you the proverbial “Banyan Tree” where nothing grows and you’re diminishing the effectiveness and productivity of the people? Tough question, but one you need to ask yourself before its too late.