How great does it feel to be noticed rather than ignored, to feel valued and to have a positive impact?
But hang on….
…to be seen but not too seen, right?
Not too noticed?
Lets not be unsafe or break out from our group.
As the phrase goes, lets not be that “tall poppy”.
Earlier this year I sowed some wild flower seeds and recently they have been flowering.
Glorious red set against the mix of green.
It made me think about the concept of tall poppies and how we can be influenced to behave based on our internal perception of the viewpoint of others .
I often encourage my private athlete group to share experiences from events over the weekends or adventures from their training. However, I know for some this can be super challenging. Placing ourselves into the spotlight can be intimidating. Thoughts like “Do I really belong, does it seem like I’m being a tall poppy and bragging, is this suitable to share?”
However, lets look at the flowers in the picture. Each has it’s own value, it’s own beauty. It’s addition to the group adds to the vibrancy and the positivity. Each flower has personal variations, whether taller, shorter, a little larger, a little smaller. Each flower is not in competition with the others but in harmony. The bees enjoy them all.
Have a think, have you ever undersold yourself, held yourself back, feared being authentic because of the concern about being a tall poppy or growing too much?
How might this be a disservice not only to yourself, but also to the group. Maybe by growing taller you give the space and confidence for another to grow to their potential?
There is a really interesting observation towards the end of this recent podcast from That Triathlon Show.
- The question is posed…if you are struggling to complete a session would you:
- Maintain the duration or distance target but not meet the pace?
- Maintain pace and not complete the distance or duration?
Is there a cultural norm within your peers or other poppies? Is there one which maintains the training objective more? Is there one that keeps you from standing out or one that would be uncomfortable. I had a personal reaction that I think the influence of the other poppies may well be stronger than the coaches objective of the session.
Notice that the individual poppies do not compare themselves to the others. They each enjoy the experiences equally. For us it could be the enjoyment of an event or the training, for the poppies it’s the refreshing water or the warmth of the sun.
So thinking about a take-away or action. The next time you feel hesitation to follow through on something in a group environment, check in with yourself and explore whether you are pulling back for fear of being a tall poppy and how true your concerns may be.
Enjoy the sunshine everyone 🙂