We are concluding our series on the 7 natural means rainforest plants have to protect themselves from pests so they can grow fast and produce much. This one is about getting help. - recruiting others to run defense for you. In nature, it’s called the “ant defense”. It’s where plants sometimes offer ants nectar in exchange for defense from leaf eating pests like caterpillars, ladybugs, etc. The ants value the nectar more than eating the leaf so they protect the leaf from other leaf eating insects.

It’s a protection racket, but it’s initiated by the plant. Do you have an assistant or someone who can run defense for you and screen your calls, even answer or clear away nuisance emails? It might be worth the investment. Too often, I have been guilty of assigning a task to my support team, then going back and getting involved, even doing it myself. That’s pathetic. If I have the wrong staff, I need to replace them. If I simply have bad habits, I need to change those!

Read the rest of this entry »