I’m still reading Michael Polllan’s book “Second nature: a gardener’s education”. This time I want to talk about his description of the garden world’s plants hierarchy. At the top stand the very civilized plants such as the rose and at the bottom are the weeds, attempting to take over. Where plants fall in this chain [...]

Tags: disengaged employees, employee engagement, Karen Schmidt, Organisational culture

I have been visiting Perth on a monthly basis to deliver my first Budding Leaders Program and have had the chance to visit some of my favourite gardens including the wonderful Kings Park. I recently found myself standing next to a magnificent specimen of a plant and immediately identified it by the name I have [...]

Tags: Employee Communication, Leadership and management, Organisational culture, Political correctness, Workplace gardening, www.letsgrow.com.au

So I’m working away at the weeding down at Northey Street City Farm the other day and the Co-ordinator leading volunteers that day strikes up a conversation with me about what I do when I’m not attempting to rid the world of weeds. I answer and respond by asking him about his background and find [...]

Tags: Karen Schmidt, Leadership and gardening, Leadership skills, Leading is like gardening, www.nscf.org.au

An infographic by the team at CouponAudit . Couldn’t help but show off the fact that my blog has been named number 49 in the Top 100 Gardening blogs to follow in 2013. Sure, it’s a different “spin” on gardening but I’m proud of being able to spread the  message of workplace gardening even further! [...]

Tags: Leadership and gardening, Leadership and management, Leadership skills, Leading is like gardening, Workplace gardening

What do real estate, employee engagement and gardening have in common? Success is all about position, position, position! Columnist Michael McCoy from Gardening Australia Magazine explored the issue of position in one of his recent articles in reference to a plant he has, a Helleborous called “Mrs Betty Ranicar”, that had issues because it was [...]

Tags: Career path, employee engagement, Karen Schmidt, Leadership and gardening, Leadership and management