If there’s one lesson farming never lets you forget, it’s that the harvest always comes later.
You plant the seeds, tend the soil, and put in the work long before you see results. No shortcut or clever trick changes that simple truth. Stephen Covey reminds us, it’s the Law of the Harvest. I wrote more about what that principle has taught me in leadership on the Iron Mountain Organics blog about five years ago in a post titled Learning Healthy Leadership through Law of the Harvest.
At Iron Mountain Organics, I’m reminded of this lesson as I take on new infrastructure projects. In addition to the 8-foot fencing around a 5,000 sqft garden and a 6 bin compost system, I am now putting in a new 32×12 greenhouse and a 36×16 high tunnel to serve my local community with better produce and vegetable seedlings they can grow on their own properties. Each of these investments takes time, money, and energy. None of them produces an immediate return, but each one creates the foundation for seasons of abundance ahead.
It’s the same kind of season we’re in at ThreeWill. Our focus on Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) is about more than building a new line of business. It’s about laying a strong foundation that will stand the test of time. We’re building tools, systems, and relationships, but most importantly, we’re building community. I’m especially excited to share that we’ll soon be launching our HCBS Productivity Toolkit. More to come!
The true strength of this HCBS practice will come from our ability to listen, learn, and understand how we can best serve organizations that serve others. The work needs to start with understanding and connection.
These early efforts might not have an immediate payoff, but that’s what makes them meaningful. In farming and in business, the things that last are the ones that grow slowly and deeply.
So keep planting, keep building, and keep believing. The harvest comes later, and it’s always worth the wait ;).
This post first appeared on October 11, 2025 in Sowing Success, my weekly LinkedIn newsletter on leadership and organic farming. Read the original on LinkedIn.
