Most people chase tactics. The strong build roots.
Your roots are your Five Trees, virtues that stay green when every other part of you feels stripped.
When you know yours, storms don’t scare you. You bend. You don’t break.
1. Truth = Clarity
Truth isn’t opinion. It’s the clean edge between what’s real and what’s wishful.
Leaders who tell it early, even when it hurts, create trust that money can’t buy.
When clarity becomes culture, speed follows.
Action: say one true thing today that everyone’s been avoiding.
2. Courage = Action
Fear kills more potential than failure ever could.
Courage isn’t loud. It’s movement.
When the stakes rise, strong leaders decide fast and course-correct in motion.
Action: pick one decision you’ve been circling. Make it by noon.
3. Justice = Alignment
Justice in leadership means fairness without weakness.
It’s protecting what’s right even when it costs comfort.
The moment you allow one double standard, your culture starts to rot.
Action: fix one inconsistency this week. Policy, pay, or principle.
4. Purpose = Direction
Without purpose, leaders chase trends like weather vanes.
Purpose gives you North. It’s why you get up when comfort says don’t.
Action: finish this line every morning: “Today I serve by…”
Purpose stays alive through repetition.
5. Compassion = Connection
Compassion isn’t soft. It’s strength under control.
It’s saying the hard thing with care. It’s building people, not followers.
Without compassion, your team obeys. With it, they own.
Action: before correcting someone, add one sentence that shows belief in them.
The Canopy Effect
When all five grow together, they form your living canopy:
| Tree | Meaning | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Truth | Clarity | No confusion |
| Courage | Action | Momentum |
| Justice | Alignment | Trust |
| Purpose | Direction | Focus |
| Compassion | Connection | Loyalty |
These trees never shed. They just deepen.
When the noise rises, come back to your canopy. That’s where your real power lives.
Try This
Ask yourself:
- What five virtues never left me, even in failure?
- What do people thank me for when I’m not looking?
- What part of me still feels alive when everything else burns?
That’s your grove. Guard it. Water it. Grow from there.
