Leadership / Growing / Leader Development
The Dandelion Leader
Learning from a weed (not learning from weed!)
Like many homeowners, I’m engaged in perpetual battle for my yard with Taraxacum officinale aka The Lion’s Tooth (from the French dent-de-lion) aka the common dandelion. The only common thing about a dandelion is its ubiquity. Its omniscience is amazing and because of that, I especially like the French-derived name of The Lion’s Tooth. Dandelions are more than tough enough to have earned that moniker.
That name comes from the shape of its leaves but I prefer to think of it as reflective of the plant’s fortitude, tenacity, and just plain toughness. If regular lions aren’t like that, then they ought to be. Work on that, lions.
A quick scan of Wikipedia tells you some amazing things about the plant. Dandelions grow on six continents and the entire thing is edible. Good source of vitamins A, C, and K as well as minerals (calcium, potassium, iron, and manganese). Nearly every culture has incorporated them into food. I’ve eaten them in salads and my mother made dandelion wine once upon a time. She said it was awful but that may reflect her skills as a winemaker as much as the plant. It was her only effort in that arena. The rest of her kitchen skills are beyond compare.
