Core Insight
On a small farm, there are a few techniques that help you get the most from the land you are working. One of my favorites is succession planting. It can take different forms, but the general idea is to plant seeds in timed intervals, or back-to-back waves, so everything does not come in at once and the garden stays productive from spring through fall. The trays in this week’s photo are the next succession of lettuce, kale, Swiss chard, and beets.
Something I see often with home gardeners is that a spring garden gets planted, and by the time those harvests are done, it is too late to put in the next crop. That next crop needed to be started while the spring or summer crops were still producing. Once you notice the gap, the window has usually closed.
I think succession planting, or succession planning in the business world, is one of those Quadrant 2 activities. It is important, but it is rarely urgent. Nothing forces you to do it this week, which is exactly why it gets skipped.
At ThreeWill, I think about it in terms of the next Productivity Engineer, the next Sales Leader, and maybe one day, the next ThreeWill CEO. That last one would be the ultimate achievement in a business succession plan. I am not saying I am going anywhere today. But I do find myself thinking about how the ThreeWill legacy can live beyond its founders, and which seedling needs to be planted now.
Three Concrete Details to Notice
1. The next crop starts before the current one finishes
These seedlings are growing while other beds are still producing. If I waited for the current harvest to end before starting them, I would lose weeks of growing time and maybe the season. I think roles on a team work much the same way. The time to develop the next person is while the current work is still going well, not after someone has already moved on. Although, that takes building up margin in the business to make the investment.
2. Important but not urgent is easy to postpone
No one walks into the field and tells me to start the next tray of lettuce. The current harvest always feels more pressing. Succession work rarely comes with a deadline, so it needs a place on the calendar or it simply does not happen. BTW, there is a very cool product called Seedtime for you ambitious gardeners out there – https://seedtime.us/jkmel4ukl4tonac09iap-5fs?ref=tommy-ryan58
3. A legacy is planted in small trays
This photo is not a field of mature plants. It is a few trays of small seedlings that will matter later on. Thinking about the future of ThreeWill beyond its founders does not start with a grand announcement. It starts with ordinary choices today about who we invest in and what we are preparing to grow.
Simple Closing Thought
What is the next seedling in your organization that needs to be planted today, while the current season is still going strong?
It may not feel urgent this week. That is usually the best sign it is time to start.
Keep growing. Keep learning.
Farmer Tommy
This post first appeared on October 9, 2026 in Sowing Success, my weekly LinkedIn newsletter on leadership and organic farming. Read the original on LinkedIn.
