Be the Tree, Not the Squirrel: Leadership in a Grounded Space

By Alexa Waldmann

“Stand tall. Stay rooted. Be the steady presence in a shifting forest.”

In every shared space—whether it's a team, an office, a family, or a community—there are moments when chaos stirs. People scramble. Emotions spike. Something gets moved, misunderstood, or mishandled. And suddenly, there's noise. Reactivity. A rush to explain, defend, redirect.

This is when you get to choose: Will I be the tree, or the squirrel?

The Squirrel Energy

The squirrel darts. It scrambles. It chatters. It moves tools around and then points to acorns missing from the pile. Not maliciously, but anxiously. Its energy is fast, strategic, and reactive. It wants to look helpful, be seen as engaged, stay in motion—because stillness feels unsafe.

The squirrel means well. But it creates noise. It kicks up dust. It shifts the focus from clarity to distraction.

The Tree Energy

The tree stands. Rooted. Still. Aware.

It doesn't bend for every gust of wind, and it doesn't rush to follow every conflict.

It holds structure in the midst of motion. It offers shade, perspective, and containment. The tree knows that strength isn't in how loudly you speak, but in how clearly you hold.

When something is out of alignment, the tree doesn't scurry. It names what is. It reflects. It allows space for growth. And it invites others into presence, not performance.

The Wisdom of Leadership

In shared environments, we often encounter people who have not yet learned how to self-regulate. They may rely on performance, redirection, or overly polished communication to manage discomfort. But clarity isn't served by cleverness. It's served by truth.

To lead well is to model calm accountability. To respond, not react. To say:

"This isn't about blame. It's about rhythm. It's about how we care for the shared space we're in."

And when someone isn't ready to meet you in that clarity, you don't punish them. You simply don't bend your branches to accommodate dissonance. You stay grounded. You let them rise—or move on.

The Forest

Being the tree means you are part of a living forest. You hold space for collaboration, for repair, for shared care. You don't just maintain order—you cultivate alignment.

Because in any healthy ecosystem, what matters most isn't how fast someone moves or how clever they sound. It's whether they can show up honestly, communicate clearly, and stay rooted when it matters.

So let this be your reminder:

Be the tree, not the squirrel.

Stay rooted in your values. Let your clarity be the mirror. Let others come into rhythm with you—or reveal that they're not ready.

And keep growing anyway.