The Atacama Desert is one of the driest places on Earth. For decades some of its hills and mountains have seen little to no greenery. It is a brown, rocky, and barren environment.
Then the rain came.
An extraordinary amount of water fell on northern Chile, activating seeds, bulbs, tubers, and other biological material that had been dormant beneath the surface for years.
The result? Millions of flowers. More than 200 species transformed approximately 17,000 square kilometers of desert into a spectacular carpet of color. Some places hadn’t seen flowers for 30 or 40 years.
There is a powerful leadership lesson here:
Dormant is not the same as dead.
5 Lessons on Dormat vs. Dead Leadership
The following are five lessons on dormat vs. dead leadership we learn from this story:
1. Never confuse a lack of visible results with a lack of potential.
A person may not be flourishing today while possessing tremendous potential for tomorrow. What looks unproductive on the surface may simply be waiting for the right opportunity.
2. Create environments where potential can bloom.
The desert didn’t need new seeds. It needed water. Sometimes your people don’t need to be replaced. They need the right resources of encouragement, training, trust, responsibility, or someone who believes in them.
3. Be patient with people.
Some seeds remain dormant for decades. Leadership development rarely produces instant results. The investment you make in someone today may not become visible for years.
4. Don’t let difficult seasons convince you nothing is happening.
The desert looked empty, but life was still there. Your organization may appear to be in a barren season while important work is taking place beneath the surface.
5. Learn to see what others cannot yet see.
Average leaders judge what is visible. Great leaders recognize what is possible.
Conclusion
Perhaps there is someone on your team who feels like an Atacama Desert right now. They aren’t thriving, producing much, or seem to have little to offer.
Before you write them off, take another look and consider the following:
- Maybe the potential is still there.
- Maybe they don’t need a different leader.
- Maybe they need a different environment.
- Maybe they need someone to bring the rain.
The greatest leaders don’t just identify people who are already blooming. They create the conditions that help dormant potential come alive.
And sometimes, what looks like a desert is simply a garden waiting for rain.
Brand New Free Resource
In partnership with my friends at NetLine, I am pleased to bring you the new complimentary resource The Top 75 Leadership Quotes of 2026 Part 1. This will take you twenty minutes to read and a lifetime to apply. Now a special request, if you see any ads when downloading, please feel free to click on them and learn more about what is provided. By doing so, this helps create the resources needed to continue bringing free content to you in the future. Thank you again, I hope you enjoy the resource.
