Finding success in leadership is about creating an environment that fosters growth. In order to create the conditions for growth, it is imperative that you keep a close eye on the details; instead of always focusing on the bigger picture, consider what it is that keeps you and your team thriving.
Lessons of leadership that can be pulled from your garden are plentiful. Among them, the ability to nurture, having patience, constantly striving for growth, giving praise, and always recognizing progress. Look to your garden for these lessons, and carry them with you as you navigate the workplace.
Nurture
In order to grow your garden, you need to take the time to nurture it. This means understanding what will best help the plants in your garden, as opposed to acting by means of what works best for you.
To be a leader that can truly listen to others, you need to function in this way; listen and seek an understanding of what will help your people flourish. Your team is no different than your garden in this way; by taking their experience into account, you are showing that you care about their individual accessibility to growth.
This method of nurturing your team leads to a cohesive, compassionate, and transparent work environment. In turn, you will find a community that understands one another and one that has the tools and support that are needed to reach goals and complete tasks.
Find Patience
Success is not something that will befall you or your people without the proper time and care. Giving growth the time to process and be nurtured is what will benefit you the most; as it goes, good things take time.
Find patience in your daily practice of leadership as you seek not to rush the process of reaching success, but to provide it with the structure and nutrients it needs in order to create the most incredible product.
In gardening, you simply cannot rush the process of growth. You can listen, observe and do research on how best to support your plants, but at the end of the day, you’re on their timeline; you have to trust your garden to do its best job given the circumstances you have provided for it.
Strive for Growth
The beautiful thing about gardening is that you are always searching for ways to help your garden grow more. Similarly, while your people can be thriving, a great leader is one step ahead, seeking solutions for more growth in the future.
When you have a good thing going, consider what you can do to take it just a step further. Be careful not to overwhelm yourself or your people; like overwatering your garden, too much of one thing is never the answer. Pace yourself, and do not add unnecessary factors to the mix.
One great way not to take on too much while striving for growth is to reflect on what your intentions are for you, your people, and your organization. When you set a clear intention, you are able to streamline what you bring into your process and choose the options that don’t take away from your environment.
Give Praise & Recognize Progress
Whether it’s your garden or your team, recognizing progress and praising good effort is a significant lesson to be learned from your garden. Think about it, there is nothing more exciting than when you finally begin to see just the start of a veggie growing in your garden; why should you treat witnessing the start of a great project any differently? You shouldn’t!
The hard work of your team is something that should always be celebrated, whether or not you have reached your final goal or acquired your final product. Respecting the process is an invaluable trait of a leader; it shows that you hear what your team needs, you value the time it takes to do a great job, and you trust them to do their best work.
Relinquish the Power Dynamic
Being a true leader is being a listener, a hard worker, and on the same team as your people. In order to function in the way that serves your team best, you have to relinquish the idea that you are in power over the entire environment.
This lesson can be derived from the way you must allow your garden to take control of its growing. You provide it with everything it needs in order to achieve success, and you remain available to help along the way. This is what a wonderful leader does to support their team.
