Choosing What to Nurture

When a gap opens in the canopy, the forest responds. Seedlings that had been lying dormant suddenly push upward, stretching toward the light. Some look strong and promising, others more fragile, even lacklustre. But not all seedlings become saplings, and not all saplings grow into trees.

This is as true in business as it is in the forest.

When the “Best” Sapling Isn’t the Right One

Recently, I found myself with an idea that seemed almost perfect. It was practical, actionable, within budget, and appealing. It had the qualities of a strong sapling: tall, straight, already outpacing the others. So, I poured time and energy into it, investing in the belief that this would be the next tree in my business canopy.

But as I moved toward implementation, a quiet truth became louder: this was not what my business needed. It was what I wanted, not what the ecosystem around me was asking for.

That was a sobering moment.

It’s hard to let go of a sapling you’ve already nurtured. It feels like wasted effort, like a betrayal of your own vision. Yet, clinging to the wrong sapling can cost more than starting over, it can crowd out the growth of the quieter, more attuned seedlings waiting nearby.

The Seeds We Choose, and the Ones We Don’t

One of the difficulties in business is that we don’t always know which seeds we’ve planted. Some sprout without our awareness, an offhand conversation, a side project, an unexpected connection, and before we realise it, there’s a new seedling pushing upward.

Meanwhile, the ideas we desperately want to grow sometimes refuse to take root. We fertilise them with attention, we shield them from the elements, and still, they falter.

The biblical image comes to mind: some seeds fall on fertile ground, while others fall on rock. But even in the forest, where the soil is rich and conditions seem right, many seedlings never make it past the first few seasons. That’s not failure, it’s nature.

In business, though, the stakes feel heavier. Every sapling seems like it carries the future canopy on its shoulders. And sometimes, without noticing, we trample our own seedlings, ignoring small signs of potential because they don’t match our expectations of what “growth” should look like.

Bias, Blind Spots, and Business

When I realised that my “best” sapling wasn’t actually the right one, it was because I had been blinded by my own bias. My excitement, my personal vision, had convinced me it was the future. But I wasn’t listening closely enough to the needs of the system I was part of: the needs, the context, the moment in time.

As I stepped back, other saplings began to emerge into view. They weren’t as appealing. Some looked small, awkward, or frankly lacklustre compared to the vision I had poured myself into. But as I paid attention, I realised they were more attuned to the actual needs of my business. They fit the soil better. Encouraging these saplings required humility, to admit that my “favourite” idea wasn’t the right one, and to redirect energy toward seedlings I might otherwise have overlooked.

This is one of the hardest parts of being in business I feel, especially for small enterprises. In large organisations, decision-making is spread across layers of hierarchy. Whole departments are tasked with filtering, analysing, and aligning. But in smaller businesses, choices are often more personal, and so are the consequences when a sapling fails.

Bias isn’t just about self-interest. It’s also about identity, worldview, even pride. Sometimes we nurture what we want to see rather than what is truly needed. And other times, we overlook the saplings that feel too ordinary, when in fact they are the ones most aligned with the forest we’re trying to grow.

Learning Which Saplings to Protect

There’s no simple rule for knowing which saplings to commit to. But I’ve learned a few things from these moments:

• Not all growth is good growth. Just because a sapling looks strong doesn’t mean it belongs in the canopy.
• The forest decides too. Customers, markets, and context will signal which seedlings are viable, and ignoring those signals is dangerous.
• We trample more than we think. By neglecting small ideas, failing to notice quiet opportunities, or dismissing what doesn’t excite us, we sometimes destroy our own future canopy.
• Bias is a poor gardener. The ideas we most want to succeed may not be the ones that carry our business forward.

A Forest of Choices

The forest never stops deciding. Every year, seedlings rise and fall. Some wither in the shade, some get uprooted by animals, some become giants. Businesses are no different. We are always choosing what to nurture, what to let go, and what to notice before we trample it underfoot. And trampling there will be because we need to keep moving.

I can still feel the sting of letting go of my “ideal” sapling. But the act of releasing it allowed me to see others that were better suited for this moment in my business. They may not be as flashy or exciting, but they are rooted in the soil of my reality.

And that, perhaps, is the real dilemma: not choosing what we want most but choosing what the forest actually needs to thrive. And that, is harnessing the true power of emergence! It’s not some abstract exercise, but a real choice and exercise in awareness and listening.

What about you? Have you ever had to let go of a “perfect” idea because it wasn’t the right fit for your business? And have you noticed seedlings you almost trampled before realising they carried unexpected potential?