Three years ago, we stopped mowing our back yard. In the Spring of that first year we just tossed a few native wildflower seeds here and there. Last year we added some clover seed to the mix. Our backyard has transformed into a wonderful spot for bunnies and bees! Other than pulling out a few fledgling trees and some extra tall weeds, we just let the back yard do what it wants.
Like most suburban backyards, ours used to be a green carpet of nothingness. While we stopped using fertilizer more than a decade ago, until three years ago we still pushed the lawnmower around weekly to create the suburban-neighbor-approved cultivated look.
What a change!
Letting the garden do its thing with minimal input from us has been transformational. Now our friendly bunnies are delightful to watch as they select tasty plants from our backyard smorgasbord. Sometimes we see hummingbirds and bumblebees. At the end of a long day, I enjoy putting down the phone and just watching the comings and goings in the backyard.
Indeed, what some people call Chaos Gardening has been growing in popularity.
I see similar patterns with how organizations present themselves to the public.
You can smooth all the rough edges on your website with AI. You can post perfectly cultivated images and video on the socials. You can push customers to do everything online so it’s easier and cheaper for you.
Or you can go back to creating a human focused organization that attracts people with something real.
Either way, it’s important to remember that you have a choice.
Like the choice between a green carpet of bluegrass vs a habitat for animals, birds, and insects, your organization can present a polished AI perfect front door or a quirky and interesting human approach that attracts people.