Chinese Bamboo Concept of Growth in Business

Chinese bamboo sapling in fertile soil

The bamboo theory of business intelligence is a story of patience and persistence, a story of resilience, focus, and endurance in the face of adversity and impossibility. Like any plant, the growth of the Chinese Bamboo Tree requires nurturing through water, fertile soil, and sunshine. In its first year, though, we see no visible signs of growth in spite of providing all of these things.

In the second year (again), there is no growth above the soil. The third and fourth year…still show no signs of anything happening. Our patience is tested, and we begin to wonder if our efforts caring for and watering the tree will ever be rewarded. We start to doubt ourselves and question the value of our efforts. Inevitably, we contemplate quitting. Then the Eureka moment finally arrives in the fifth year.

The Bamboo Tree amazingly and dramatically grows 80 feet tall in just six weeks! But think for a moment, does the Chinese Bamboo tree really grow 80 feet in six weeks? Did the Chinese Bamboo tree lie dormant for four years only to grow exponentially in the fifth? Or, was the little tree growing underground, developing a root system strong enough to support its potential for outward growth in the fifth year and beyond? The answer is (of course) obvious. Had the tree not developed a strong, unseen, yet robust foundation, it could not have sustained its life as it grew.

The same principle is true for business life.

People who patiently toil towards worthwhile dreams and goals, building strong character while overcoming adversity and challenge, grow a strong internal foundation to handle success. Meanwhile, get-rich-quick lottery winners usually are unable to sustain unearned sudden wealth. They haven’t become the person they need to be to support such success.

Had the Chinese Bamboo tree farmer dug up his little seed every year to see if it was growing, he would have stunted the tree’s growth. In other words, the actions caused by self-doubt would’ve halted the miracle from ever taking shape and caused him to go backwards.

The Bamboo Rule: A Metaphor for Patience and Growth

Lessons from the Bamboo Tree Metaphor

1. Success Doesn’t Come Right Away: The first success lesson you should learn from the bamboo tree story is that success does not come right away. When you have put in the hard work and dedicated a lot of your time to your goals and dreams, it does not mean that you will get to see the result immediately. As the saying goes, ‘Rome was not built in a day.’ Do you work out and exercise in the gym for a day and expect to lose all the fat on your body? Not at all, you will not expect that. So what makes you expect that success will come to you right away? Therefore, expect to take longer to achieve your goals, especially your worthy goals that will change your life forever.

   
   

2. Success Requires a Stronger Foundation: The bamboo tree can never grow to 80 feet tall if it does not grow its roots deep into the ground for the first few years. And the same applies to your life. Spend time building a strong foundation. This is especially important if your goals are big and your dreams are beyond your current level. The problem with most people who fail to achieve their goals is that they never improve themselves. They never commit to the principle of constant and never-ending improvement. They never commit to deliberate practice.

   
   

3. Increase & Improve your Level for Success: First, you must raise your level in both your knowledge and your character before you can achieve a better result in life. Imagine if you are at level 3 and your problem or obstacle is at level 5, it will be a big problem for you. However, things will be different when you level up. Just like playing games, when you level up, you become better. You raise your level to level 7. And now you will look at a level 5 problem as a small problem. Always remember this, the size of the problems doesn’t matter; what truly matters is the size of you.

   
   

4. Success is about your Consistency: Without consistently watering, nurturing, and giving enough sunshine to the bamboo tree, it can never grow. What happens if you nurture and water it the first month, and then do nothing for the next two months, only to decide to continue at it again? It will never experience full growth, and you may even kill it. And this is exactly how most people treat their goals and dreams. They think about them and work on them in the beginning, but eventually, they lose steam and never do it again.

   
   

5. Don’t Forget to Nurture Your Dreams: A lot of people forget to nurture their dreams. They are good at planning, but when it is time to work, they either choose to procrastinate or forget about what they need to get done. And when they remember that they needed to execute a task, it will be too late, and they will usually say, “Tomorrow!”

   

   Businessperson climbing steps labelled patience, consistency, foundation 

6. Believe without Doubt: Another important lesson you must learn from the bamboo tree story is that you need to believe in yourself and your dreams without a doubt. You should believe in yourself and your potential, at the same time, work towards your dreams. A lot of people fail to do this when they put in their effort and time, but never get to see the results. Successful people such as Aliko Dangote, Sir Richard Branson, and Bill Gates have underscored the fact that success is not easy because if it were easy, everyone would be successful. And because it is hard and requires tremendous effort, especially in the early stage, you must proceed with absolute belief without any shadow of doubt.

   
   

7. Patience & Consistency will eventually pay off: One of the most profound lessons you can learn from the bamboo tree story is none other than this, being patient and persistent. Success will never come to you that fast, and you will need to have the patience to go through the hard work in order to produce the result you desire. And this is exactly where most people fail. Most people don’t have the patience. The bamboo theory teaches us that there is a need for patience and painstaking effort for success to happen. Success doesn’t come overnight. Behind the scenes are doubts, dedication, perseverance, and ultimately hard work.

   
   

8. Patience & Consistence will eventually pay off: One of the most profound lessons you can learn from the bamboo tree story is none other than this, being patient and persistent. Success will never come to you that fast, and you will need to have the patience to go through the hard work in order to produce the result you desire. And this is exactly where most people fail. Most people don’t have the patience. The bamboo theory teaches us that there is a need for patience and painstaking effort for success to happen. Success doesn’t come overnight. Behind the scenes are doubts, dedication,

   perseverance and ultimately hard work.

Professor Mufaro Gunduza coaches and mentors Business Intelligence at Mount Carmel Institute (Harare), Indian School of Management (New Mumbai), and UNISA. He is the SADC Investments Advisor to Dr. Farzam Kamalabadi, Founder of Future Trends Group and Special Presidential Envoy on Business and International Relations, Government of Botswana. He has written several books, including Unleashing Blue Sky Thinking, Spotting Business Opportunities, and Big Picture Thinking (Bookboon Publishers, London & Denmark). He has just assumed the Presidency of the Southern African Chamber of Commerce. He can be contacted on WhatsApp: +263774868896, Phone: +263718925350, Email: mgunduza@yahoo.co.uk.

Chinese bamboo business concept