While researching ideas for a customised presentation I recently delivered to the Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association (www.wista.net) I came across this example of how you can’t keep a good seed down. The lush green plants in this picture contain more history than you can possibly imagine. They came from soil that was [...]

Tags: Career path, employee engagement, engagement, Karen Schmidt, Leading is like gardening, mature employees, www.letsgrow.com.au

I was watching one of my favourite lifestyle programs recently, “Better Homes and Gardens” when garden expert Graham Ross took a tour of a garden built close to the ocean. The garden owner was well aware that some of her plant choices were probably going to have short lives due to the extreme conditions they [...]

Tags: emerging leaders, employee engagement, Gen Y, Leadership and gardening, Leading is like gardening, learning and development, Mature leaders, Support for leaders, Workplace gardening, www.letsgrow.com.au

I love autumn leaves. If I lived in the right climate I would have a deciduous tree in my garden just so I could watch the leaves change colour and fall to the ground. I am also fascinated by the part they play in the eternal cycle of nature. The leaf litter fertilises the plants [...]

Tags: Gen Y, Karen Schmidt, Leadership and gardening, Leadership skills, Leading is like gardening, learning and development

I’m sad to report that we have had some incidents at http://www.nscf.org.au recently that involve vandalism. No, people weren’t running around spray painting the plants. The incidents I speak of involve small children running through the strawberry patch trampling the plants and chasing the young rooster, Specky, to the point he retaliated and is now [...]

Tags: disrespect at work, Employee morale, Gen Y, Leadership skills, respect at work

Dennis Hundscheidt is a legend in Australian tropical gardening. His suburban garden, which over time has spread so that it now takes up 4 x ¼ acre blocks in Sunnybank, Brisbane is regularly featured in magazines and TV shows. Dennis has set out to create an oasis of foliage, water features and architectural pieces that [...]

Tags: Leadership and management, learning and development, Mentoring