Manager-as-Sower
Welcome to The Nelson Pages—a monthly digital publication designed to support professionals who want to lead with more intention, clarity, and purpose. Through real stories, practical insights, and honest reflection, we aim to help you grow as a leader while breaking the patterns that no longer serve you—or your team.
Whether you're a seasoned executive, a new manager, a business owner, or simply someone passionate about personal growth, The Nelson Pages offers guidance and inspiration for the kind of leadership that drives real change.
Our newsletter is broken into 3 parts: research, storytelling, and practical application. Each section is designed to deepen your understanding.
Welcome to the journey and let us know what you think!
Image of a balance scale with a mask and a mirror. The mask is depicted as “heavier” than the mirror. This image was created using AI technology.
Masks, Mirrors and Management
Do you wear a mask? Not literally, but figuratively. As you lead and support others as a manager or executive, do you have a veneer? If you do, you’re not alone. When I have asked managers across the country why, most say it’s because they do not feel safe being their most authentic self in the workplace.
So, why might we not feel safe in the workplace? How does this feeling show up? And what should we do about it?
Fans de Waal and Thomas Hobbes would likely say we wear masks because of our human nature. Fans de Waal (2005) argued that we are not innately moral but fundamentally selfish, competitive, and sometimes brutal. Similarly, Thomas Hobbes (1651) posited that if two men desire the same thing, which they both cannot enjoy, they become enemies and work to destroy each other. For us, this means our masks are socially constructed through various contracts and agreements to ensure restraint and order, so that we don’t devolve into our most primitive callous instincts (veneer theory). In short, we wear a mask because we are hiding our true nature. We call this “manager-as-maintainer” of law and order.
Conversely, Mencius (c. 371- c. 289 BC) would tell us that human nature is inherently righteous and good. We are all born with seeds of humanity, righteousness, decorum, and wisdom. If these “seeds” are not cultivated, human nature could become evil. In short, a mask would not be needed if we awaken and nurture these innate abilities in ourselves and others. We call this “manager-as-sower” of self-awareness and thoughtful intention.
The reality for most of us is we wear a mask for a multitude of reasons. The mask provides some level of protection, direction, and order to our daily lives. For many, the mask also represents workplace policies, procedures, rules, codes of conduct, and laws we enact. Our masks allow us to establish and maintain control, guarding our work environment from our innate immorality. Overtime, this mask we intended to preserve our own humanity reinforces a lack of compassion and decorum and moves us further from cultivating goodness. Instead of putting on a mask, we propose a different set of tools.
If you aspire to engage more purposefully as a “manager-as-sower,” experiment with these three simple steps:
Assess your current mindsets, reflecting on your history and experiences.
Examine your work environment, collecting and evaluating evidence.
Change your behavior, making conscious and intentional attempts.
Step 1: How do you see yourself: “manager-as-maintainer,“ “manager-as-sower,” or maybe both? When do you lean one way or another? What have you seen from previous managers that may be influencing your actions? What has happened in your own experience as a manager in previous and current environments? What feedback have you received both directly and indirectly from employees?
Step 2: Spend some time observing your current work environment. Pay attention in times of conflict and/or crisis. When things start to unravel, how do your employees behave? How do you behave? Notice your instinctive reactions and responses to events/series of events; these will provide valuable insight into the environment you've helped shape and reinforced.
Review your notes and answer these questions:
Why do I act/react in this way?
Do my actions confirm or conflict with my self-assessment? How?
Step 3: Allow yourself to unmask and evolve to a “manager-as-sower” who cultivates an environment where both you and your employees can be your most authentic selves. A few additional lessons from Mencius suggest these initial actions represent several beginnings:
Acting with a sense of compassion is the beginning of humanity;
Acting with a sense of humility is the beginning of righteousness;
Acting with a sense of courtesy is the beginning of decorum;
Acting with a sense of right and wrong is the beginning of wisdom.
Keep in mind your mask reflects your experiences over time and will take time to remove responsibly - a sharp pivot will likely cause confusion and more distrust in your workplace. Remember:
The process is not linear. But the path starts with you.
No judgement. You're growing.
In the end, “nothing happens until you decide**.”
Sowing Seeds of Introspection: The Skunk and The Rabbits
Our storytelling this month comes from a featured guest writer, Jeanine Thomas.
Early one morning, as the sky began to lighten, a skunk saw a group of black rabbits grazing side by side in the grass. As Skunk watched the group of rabbits gnaw eagerly at the grass in unison, he decided they must be enjoying each other’s company and admired their bond.
Suddenly, Skunk felt lonely. He longed to be accepted by the group. Summoning all the courage he had, Skunk decided to approach the rabbits. Closing in on them, he noticed a delectable grasshopper sitting on a few blades of grass. Feeling his stomach grumble, Skunk couldn’t help himself. He grabbed the grasshopper and shoved it in his mouth. Oh, how delightful!
Lost in the taste of the grasshopper, Skunk did not realize he was being watched. After swallowing the treat, Skunk looked up and saw the group of rabbits staring at him. Breaking the silence, he said, “Hello! I saw you all eating grass from afar. You seemed so content, like you enjoyed each other. I have to ask if you all wouldn’t mind me joining your group.”
The rabbits laughed.
Confused, Skunk asked, “What’s so funny?”
“You wanting to be a part of our group,” one of the rabbits responded.
“What’s so funny about that?” Skunk asked.
“Well, for starters, we don’t eat other animals. We eat lots of grass, and sometimes plants too.”
“I eat lots of grass, too!” Skunk replied.
“Then why were you eating a grasshopper just now?” a rabbit asked.
“It was a mistake. It blended into the grass. I didn’t see it. It won’t happen again,” Skunk entreated.
The rabbits stared at him in silence for a beat. One rabbit, who appeared more dominant than the others, turned to the group, motioned for them to huddle up, and began to whisper. After what felt like a lifetime to Skunk, the rabbit said to him, “If you agree to behave just like us, you can join our group.”
Skunk contemplated the offer. Could he control his innate traits? Could he behave just like the rabbits? Grasshoppers, beetles, and crickets sure are yummy. Birds, lizards, and mice make a satisfying treat as well.
While these pleasures tempted him, when Skunk considered his loneliness, he knew what he had to do.
“Yes, I can behave just like you,” he said aloud.
“Well, you are free to join us.”
Skunk was delighted! He scurried over to the rabbits and started chewing on grass.
Not bad, and he chomped down on more. He knew he was going to have to eat a lot of grass to satisfy the knots in his stomach and decided this sacrifice was worth it to be accepted by the rabbits.
Unexpectedly, the rabbits squatted and released their droppings. Next, they turned their heads and began to eat the droppings. Alarmed by the sight of the rabbits eating their feces, Skunk released his own stench cloud into the air.
“What is that awful smell?!” the dominant rabbit shouted.
“It’s coming from him!” another pointed in Skunk’s direction.
“That smell is downright horrendous!” another cried.
The dominant rabbit signaled to the rabbits it was time to huddle up again. After speaking with the group, he swiftly lifted his head and said to Skunk, “On second thought, you’ll never be like us, no matter how hard you try. We think it’s best you return to being on your own.”
And with that, the rabbits scurried away from the skunk.
Shunned, Skunk stayed in place. What was he supposed to do now?
Out of the blue, a mouse sprinted through the grass and caught Skunk’s attention. His stomach growled; he was still hungry. He knew what to do. Eat.
Jeanine Thomas is a freelance writer passionate about fitness, faith, and fiction. She previously served in district and school leadership roles at KIPP Texas Public Schools and Uplift Education. In her spare time, Jeanine blogs about transitioning careers and self-transformation. You can check her blog out at https://jeaninethomas.blog.
Apply the Learning: A “Manager-as-Sower” Case Study
Linda Salazar has over 20 years of experience in education and currently serves as the Director of Implementation at ElevateEd, a mid-sized K–12 curriculum vendor specializing in culturally responsive ELA and math content. Linda began her career as a middle school teacher in a large urban district and later moved into instructional coaching and district-level administration before transitioning to the private education sector. With a master’s in Educational Leadership and a reputation for diplomacy and relationship-building, Linda has led her team of 15 instructional consultants for the past five years.
ElevateEd’s business model is heavily relationship-driven. Their success hinges on delivering high-quality curriculum materials and sustained, positive partnerships with school districts. The company’s client-facing teams often navigate high-stakes environments where political tensions, competing priorities, and undercurrents of distrust between vendors and districts are common.
In early fall, a high-profile district in the Midwest publicly criticized ElevateEd’s materials, claiming misalignment with state standards and lack of teacher usability. While the district’s internal issues contributed to the tension, the blame was directed squarely at Linda’s team. Internally, fear began to swell among consultants - many of whom were former teachers - who worried that the criticism could cost them their jobs or reputations.
Linda responded by immediately reassigning key staff members without consultation, tightening reporting requirements, and rewriting internal protocols to increase oversight. In meetings, she maintained a composed, neutral tone, emphasizing the importance of professionalism and being solutions-oriented. Privately, several team members felt betrayed, saying it seemed like Linda had put on her corporate mask and abandoned their trust for the sake of optics.
Case study questions:
How do you think Linda sees herself? “Manager-as-maintainer,“ “manager-as-sower,” or maybe both?
Who benefitted from Linda’s mask? Who was harmed by it?
How could Linda have preserved order and still been authentic and supportive?
How might Linda rebuild trust with her team?
What would be your first step? Compassion, humility, courtesy, or a sense of right and wrong?
See you next month!
De Waal, F. (2005). Our inner ape: a leading primatologist explains why we are who we are. Riverhead Books.
Hobbes, T., & Curley, E. M. 1. (1994). Leviathan: with selected variants from the Latin edition of 1668. Hackett Pub. Co.
Hwang, P. H. (1979). What Is Mencius’ Theory of Human Nature? Philosophy East and West, 29(2), 201–209. https://doi.org/10.2307/1398557
**Quote by William Hutchison Murray
