Many people want to help others succeed. Sometimes this may involve them passing on knowledge that people can use in their own ways to achieve their goals.
Imagine that a person has ideas, models or practical tools that work. It may be important for them to know where to plant these seeds.
They can identify the potential fertile ground. These may be the kinds of people, places and cultures that are more likely to be open to such ideas. It can be useful for them the focus on these areas.
The person may also find it useful to identify the fallow ground. This may include people who are not necessarily looking for new directions but they may be open to things that spark their interest.
The person may need to avoid the frozen ground. These are places where people have rigid beliefs and are not necessarily open to other ideas.
Imagine that you want to pass on knowledge. Let’s explore how you can identify the various kinds of ground.
The Fertile Ground
Looking around, where might be the most fertile ground for passing on your knowledge? Here are some questions it can be useful to explore when considering this theme.
Who are the kinds of people with whom you work best? What are the personality characteristics of these people? What are the reasons why they may be open to what you offer?
What are the kinds of work places – cultures and environments – that may be open to what you offer? What are the characteristics of these places? How can what you provide help these people to achieve success?
Imagine that you have something of value to offer. The reality is that some people – some target groups or audiences – will be more open to such ideas than other groups.
This rule holds true whether you are working as a counsellor, therapist, singer, artist, sports coach or in some other role. You may find it useful to focus on the most fertile ground.
Looking at my own work, I have tended to focus on working with positive achievers. Such people have a positive attitude but also want to achieve certain results.
This has often involved working with pioneers in education, business, sports and other fields. Such people have also sometimes been pacesetters or peak performers.
This is an approach that I have also taken when running therapy sessions or working with challenging organisations. The aim has been to appeal to the positive achiever parts of individuals, teams or organisations.
Later we will focus on your chosen fertile ground. Before then, however, let’s look at another possibility.
The Fallow Ground
The fallow ground is an option that is sometimes worth exploring. These are situations where people may are resting or are relatively happy with their present lives or work.
Such people may not necessarily be looking for new ideas or directions. They may have their interest piqued, however, by stimulating things that show them how they can achieve success.
Imagine that you want to offer knowledge to such people. It can be important: a) to share ideas in a way that respects people and may help them to achieve their goals; b) to not to try to sell anything to them.
Sometimes you may find it surprising when offering knowledge to such people. Some may find that it resonates with them and what they want to do in the future. Sometimes the seeds you plant begin to grow.
Let’s move on to another area that you may consider but much will depend on your approach to this option.
The Frozen Ground
Everybody is different. People like different kinds of foods, music, art and other things. They may also have different mind sets. Some may not be open to the ideas you want to offer. So, for you, this may be the equivalent of frozen ground.
Some individuals decide they want to target these groups. They deliberately aim to reach others who are sceptical or have rigid opinions. They aim to open their minds to other ideas and possibilities.
There are many views about how to relate to sceptics. One view is that people will only change their thinking if they see how doing so will bring them more benefits.
Some individuals therefore try to show others the benefits of changing their lifestyle, company culture or behaviour. This may work, but the odds are not in favour of the recipients of the messages actually changing.
Let’s return to your own life and work. What are the kinds of ideas, models and tools you would like to pass on to people? Where do you believe would be the most fertile ground?
What are the kinds of people or places that would be most open to these ideas? How can you reach these in a way that fits your values system? How can you pass on knowledge in a way that helps them to achieve success?
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
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