Is your leadership bearing fruit or are you just blending in?

Two leaves.

At first glance, they almost look identical.

Same color.
Similar veins.
Same environment.

When I’m walking in the field behind my house surrounded by hundreds of plants, leaves, and trees, it’s hard to tell the difference. Especially during winter and early spring. For several months a year, they blend together.

But eventually, the difference becomes obvious.

One of these leaves comes from a blackberry plant. Every spring it produces fruit my granddaughters and I love to pick and eat together. It provides something valuable beyond itself. It nourishes. It creates joy. It leaves a positive impact on the people around it.

The other plant mostly produces more of itself. It spreads quickly, takes up space, and eventually becomes little more than a weed competing for room and resources.

Jesus talked often about this idea of bearing fruit.
In Matthew 7:16, He said: “By their fruit you will recognize them.”

Not by appearances.
Not by words alone.
But by what their lives actually produce.

I think that lesson applies deeply to leadership and business.

In today’s world, it’s easy to look the part.

To blend into the crowd of CFOs, accountants, bookkeepers and business people who all appear similar from a distance.

Same titles.
Same terminology.
Same reports.
Same strategies.

But over time, fruit reveals the difference.

The leaders who truly stand apart are not the ones who simply occupy space or multiply activity. They are the ones whose work produces something meaningful for others.

They create clarity instead of confusion.
They create growth instead of dependency.
They create confidence instead of fear.
They help people, teams, and businesses become healthier and stronger.

Fruit always benefits someone beyond the plant itself.

As business leaders, are we simply growing our presence… or are we bearing fruit through our work?

Because eventually, every business leader becomes known not by how they looked from a distance, but by what they produced for the people they served.