I have recently gone hi tech in my office. Not only do I have an iPhone and a laptop but I now also have an iPad. One of the main reasons for getting it was to allow me to read ebooks when I travel and to take notes when I attend professional development events, amongst other things. So now I’m getting into the world of apps and there are a lot to choose from! In my search I’ve even come across one called http://www.gardeningtoolkitapp.com/. I’m sure there are plenty more with gardeners in mind.

It got me thinking about what the best apps are for leaders so I did some searching on that too and here are a selection of the results I found. I hope you find them helpful and I welcome any comments on apps you would recommend for leaders.

http://www.refreshleadership.com/index.php/2010/07/free-iphone-apps-leaders-android-blackberr/

http://ericjacobsononleadership.com/2011/07/04/best-mobile-apps-for-business-leaders/

http://www.focus.com/questions/what-are-best-android-apps-business-productivity/

http://millennialleader.com/10-free-ios-apps-for-leaders/

One of the regular columnists in “Gardening Australia magazine” is Michael McCoy and in a recent edition his article on being ruthless started like this …

“Managing a garden is like coaching a diversely skilled footy team, or chairing a committee made up of widely different personalities. In both cases there are assertive, pushy characters, who would dominate given half the chance, as well as quiet achievers who have to be given room and encouragement to shine. There are members who have been around a long time, perhaps too long, and new, young talent that needs nurturing. So its not surprising that a good gardener, like the successful footy coach or a senior chief executive, has to exercise clear discernment and, at times, brutal ruthlessness.”

The article then goes on to discuss the questions you should ask to work out how merciless you have to be when cutting back or removing plants. His final remark applies equally to the workplace as the garden:

“The truth is that life is too short, and your garden too small, to tolerate horticultural mediocrity!”.

Sadly, too many leaders tolerate professional mediocrity from their staff. They allow the people I call the “Mean” or “Has Beens” to get away with underperforming or, worse still, actually sabotaging other people’s efforts to work effectively. If a leader isn’t careful one of these types will say in a role for too long, preventing younger or newer people from being nurtured. If you let them dominate then other people will lose the chance to show what they can do.

It’s never easy to deal with the underperforming employee but it is necessary. So what are you going to do to be more discerning and, perhaps, a bit ruthless when it comes to staffing your workplace garden?

Every good gardener knows they need to have an effective toolkit to help them do all the tasks that are required to keep a garden in order. They know they can’t get by with just one tool or tools that are old, rusty or broken. Having the right tools just makes the job so much easier. Imagine trying to dig over a large garden bed using a tiny hand tool designed for pot plants. It would take forever, hurt your hands and probably not aerate the soil very well anyway. That’s why gardeners take care of their tools, store them properly and replace them as required.

The basic gardener’s toolkit should contain, amongst other things a:

• Shovel
• Fork
• Rake
• Secateurs
• Saw
• Watering can
• Wheel barrow

So what is the equivalent for a workplace gardener? What should be in their toolkit to ensure they are being effective and efficient? What is the equivalent for them of using the wrong tools or old tools? I think the most valuable tools for any leader are communication tools and they are a set of tools that need to be continually updated to remain useful. What worked 10 or 20 years ago will not work today.

People have changed and the way we communicate has changed. Here is my list of just some of the communication tools you need to master in order to be an effective leader.

• Communicating to a group (ie public speaking)
• Cross cultural communication
• Cross generational communication
• Cross gender communication
• Online communication (ie social media)
• Email communication
• Communicating via instant messaging
• Communicating via video conference
• Communicating in a crisis
• Communicating bad news
• Communicating about change

How many of these tools do you use on a regular basis and what “condition” are they in? Could they use the equivalent of a clean or do you need to replace the old ones with newer versions?

Here is quick video blog on my recent visit to a famous garden.

Did you know there is a magic formula in the structure of trees? It was discovered just over 500 years ago by Leonardo da Vinci, who noticed a pattern in the trees around him. When he measured the total cross sectional area of a tree’s branch and twigs at any height, he found they added up to the cross sectional area of its trunk. The pattern is so common it’s used to generate computer images of trees today. According to the “Physical Review Letters” journal this pattern and structure helps trees cope with gusts of wind. Other scientists say it’s the best way to carry a tree’s plumbing from the roots to its leaves. Either way it is fascinating!

It made me wonder whether there is a magic formula in the way leaders structure organisations. Traditionally they used the pyramid structure, which has served us well particularly when it comes to industries that require that military style precision, which is where the model originates. However, there are new types of organisations now emerging that have different goals, employ different types of people and cater to different customer needs. This “one size fits all” model no longer works for everyone. Today we have a number of alternative models including flat, matrix, network and virtual. It seems that with the diverse range of organisations we now have there might not be one magic formula for structuring an organisation as there is with trees. The magic part seems to be in finding the right one for your organisation. So don’t be afraid to experiment with your structure, weave your magic and see if you can come up with something that really suits your needs and creates an engaging organisation.

I am always impressed by people who are resourceful. You know the type who can make do or do without, who survive on minimal funding and still manage to produce a great outcome. I come across them all the time in my not for profit and association sector clients and often amongst my small business clients too. It’s easy to look good when you have lots of money but it’s much harder to do on a budget. I think large, wealthy organisations can learn a lot from these groups about how to engage staff without using the lure of money. I have seen the big players throw money around and still have highly disengaged teams.

Gardening is the same. Not all gardeners have ample resources. Many have to make do with whatever is available. This breeds a group of resourceful people who find ways to use and reuse everything. Take a close look at this picture of a hanging garden I took in Bangkok. The plants are growing in recycled soft drink bottles. Solves two problems at once . . . how to create a garden when there is no land available and how to deal with the growing garbage problem in a large city. This idea has inspired me to think of how I am going to decorate the balcony in the new apartment I’ve just moved into. I don’t have a big budget so I’m going to look around for some resourceful ideas. Stay tuned for pictures in the coming months.

So are you resourceful or do you simply throw your hands in the air and say “we have no money so there is nothing we can do”? Think again. There are plenty of engagement strategies you can employ that cost very little. If you need some inspiration check out my tips sheets on “Engagement winners and losers” at http://www.letsgrow.com.au/tip%20sheets.htm which has lots of great ideas, mainly free, on what engages and what doesn’t.

When was the last time you really challenged yourself at work, took on something difficult just to see if it could be done or tried something other people thought was impossible or at least not worth the effort? Has it been a while? It is very easy to slip into a comfort zone at work and forget that challenges are what help us to grow.

Gardeners are the same. Whilst they know there is great satisfaction from doing things they know will work, there is even more satisfaction from trying something challenging. This is what helps to keep them interested in working on the same garden, year after year.

On my recent trip to Brunei I saw evidence of how the local gardeners challenge themselves. This is a photo of their project: a bougainvillea vine made into a topiary. The classic “ball on stick” shape is generally reserved for less difficult plants such as a Lilly Pilly or other hedging plant. But creating this design with a vine, a vine that has thorns, is another thing. Now it helps that plants grow quickly in this part of the world but it can’t have been easy to train the vine into place.

The reward for the gardeners? A plant that is full of flowers and the satisfaction of knowing that you did something most gardeners wouldn’t contemplate.

So what’s your equivalent of the topiary bougainvillea? What challenge could you set yourself in the coming 3-6 months that would demonstrate to you and others that you are still growing at work? My challenge in 2012 is taking on the role of state President of my professional association, the National Speakers Association Australia. I have no doubt I will grow as a result and equally I know there will thorns to challenge me along the way!

On my recent trip to Thailand to present at a conference I found myself staying in a room on the 2^nd floor. Normally this means you end up with a less than desirable view, something like the car park or a brick wall. This wasn’t the case at the Grand Hyatt Erawan, Bangkok. My room had a lovely view of a roof top garden. Early each morning the gardeners came out to water or trim the plants, which they were clearly very proud of.

We all like something green to look at while we work. Being stuck in a windowless room or forced to spend your days looking out the window at a drab view can really dampen your enthusiasm for work. When there are plants outside your window every day it brings the possibility of new growth, emerging flowers and even the odd animal inhabiting the patch of green. It gives people the opportunity to take a moment to reflect and relax before hopefully returning to work and being more productive. So take a look around your workplace this week and see if there is anything you can do to brighten up the outlook that some of your staff have. It doesn’t take much, just a few cheap plants in a pot will do it. By changing someone’s physical view at work you might just change their view of their work.

I noticed this interesting little piece in a recent edition of my “Gardening Australia Magazine” and it immediately brought to mind a situation I have witnessed in many workplaces . . .

“Think of the poor insects that step onto the rim of the Nepenthes pitcher plan, then slip to their death into the chamber of digestive juices below. It’s the plant’s fatal slippery dip that seals the insect’s fate, a surface that engineers are studying to make the next generation of non-stick materials.” US Nature Journal

Have you ever worked with people who are like the pitcher plant? It could mean one of two things. Firstly, some have the ability to lure others into their orbit creating an almost cult like following. This can be very dangerous if they are a manager or aspiring manager with less than honourable motives who is looking to take over. This can cause cultural subgroups to form and the politics can get ugly. Secondly, it also signifies that they manage to avoid anything ever sticking to them. They are the masters of sidestepping blame or passing the buck to others. They have such a way with words that sometimes you walk away from a conversation with them almost believing their underhanded and sneaky version of events to be true.

It is sad to watch young or impressionable people caught up in this situation. It’s hard to warn them in advance of the potential danger without sounding like you are jealous or causing trouble yourself. Whilst you can’t always stop others from being “slippery” you can do your best to never be tagged with that title. So think about your own behavior in recent months. Is there anything you’ve done that others might view as less than desireable?

My recent trip to Brunei saw me landing very early in the morning in Singapore with half a day to fill before my connecting flight so I went in search of some new Singaporean garden experiences. I ended up in Istana Park near Dhouby Ghaut MRT station before the sun was up sitting next to the contemplation pool. I wasn’t the only person there. Along with a few very early morning commuters and the garden caretaker doing his cleaning there were a number of elderly Chinese locals doing their daily exercises in the emerging light. I took these 2 photos within 10 minutes of each other and they make the garden look completely different.  It made me see the garden in a new way.  I realized it is more than just a bit of green in a busy city, a shortcut or a place to seek shade on a hot day. This garden is actually the backyard for the local residents and some animals (I spied a cat and a squirrel). It is also a meeting point for the lonely and an opportunity for the Singapore government to show off its commitment to neatness!

Workplaces can be the same, literally and figuratively. If you’ve ever been the first person to arrive in the morning, the last person to leave at night or worked on a weekend when no one is around you will probably have noticed that the building takes on a very different feel.  Also keep in mind that your workplace isn’t just designed to be a place of business. It is also a social environment, perhaps the only social outlet for some of your staff, and a place where some people feel their most valuable and get to demonstrate their talents. When you start to think about it in these terms it can change the way you set up your workplace and the care you put into making it pleasant for staff to spend time in.