One of the quiet lessons I continue learning from both the farm and business is this:
Vacations test systems.
This past week, my family spent time at the beach together. It was a meaningful chance to reconnect, slow down a bit, and enjoy time away from the normal routines of work and the farm. As we head home, I am grateful we took the time to step away.
But if I’m honest, taking time off is one of the hardest things for me as a business owner.
There is always one more thing to finish. One more email to send. One more task that feels easier to just do myself. Stepping away forces me to confront an important question:
Have I built systems and relationships strong enough that things continue moving forward without me?
Testing the Systems
While we were away, the next-door neighbor girls helped watch over the farm. They watered, checked on things, and helped keep everything alive and thriving.
At the same time, the ThreeWill team continued operating through the core processes we have spent years building together.
One thing that stood out to me this week was seeing our COO, Kirk Liemohn, step in on a task I did not get to before PTO. Not only did he move the work forward, but he also took the time to improve the related core process documentation so the knowledge was no longer sitting only in my head.
That part mattered to me.
Too often in growing organizations, important operational knowledge lives as tribal knowledge. It stays trapped in conversations, habits, or the memory of a few key people. The problem is that systems built around heroic individuals eventually create bottlenecks.
Healthy organizations build repeatable clarity.
That does not mean removing people from the process. It means creating systems that allow more people to contribute with confidence.
Trust Creates Growth
What I continue seeing over and over again is this:
People often rise to the occasion when they feel trusted.
When leaders step away, it creates space for others to lead, solve problems, and build confidence. Sometimes we unintentionally limit the growth of those around us because we hold on too tightly to every responsibility.
Trusting people does involve risk. Things may not happen exactly the way we would have done them. But that is part of growth, both for the leader and the team.
And in many cases, the team grows stronger because of it.
I think this is especially true when trust has been built steadily over time through shared experiences, consistency, accountability, and care for one another.
Strong systems matter.
But trust is what allows those systems to truly work.
The Goal Is Not Dependence
On the farm, I do not want every vegetable surviving only because I am personally standing beside it every hour of the day.
In business, I do not want every decision, process, or project depending entirely on me either.
Healthy farms and healthy organizations both require resilience. They require distributed responsibility. They require people who understand the mission and are empowered to act.
Ironically, stepping away is often one of the best ways to see whether that resilience actually exists.
This week reminded me that building systems is important, but building people may matter even more.
And sometimes the greatest sign of growth is realizing things can continue growing well while you are away for a little while.
This post first appeared on May 15, 2026 in Sowing Success, my weekly LinkedIn newsletter on leadership and organic farming. Read the original on LinkedIn.
