I think the general consensus at this late stage of 2010 is that many people will be glad to see the beginning of 2011! In attending a range of end of year functions with friends, colleagues and clients I am finding that this has not been a great year for many people. Perhaps we were [...]

Tags: Employee morale, Engaging conversations, Makeover, Purpose

One unexpected thing I am learning as a volunteer at the City Farm (www.nscf.org.au) is being more resourceful. With limited resources a lot of things have to be improvised and a lot of recycling goes on. For example, an old Council garbage bin has been turned into a clever bulk watering system for seedlings, old [...]

Tags: Employee benefits, engagement, Small Business, unofficial leaders, www.nscf.org.au

Cultural change can be a slow process and the larger the organisation the more difficult it can be. However, there are many famous examples of how it has successfully been achieved to inspire workplace gardeners to persevere with the process. Here is one I came across recently with a gardening angle. The following is an [...]

Tags: Change management, Franklin Roosevelt, inconsistent leadership, Karen Schmidt, Organisational culture, Reputation, www.jamesadonis.com, www.letsgrow.com.au

I have been inspired by my volunteer work at the Northey Street City Farm (www.nscf.org.au) to start growing some of my own vegetables. That and I’m getting sick of the poor quality available at the supermarkets and, of course, the price. This way I will also have less wastage as I only need to pick [...]

Tags: employee engagement, engagement, Fads in leadership, Karen Schmidt, Leadership and management, Outsourcing, Productivity, Recruitment, Small Business, vegetable garden, www.letsgrow.com.au, www.nscf.org.au

Garden makeover shows have been one of the most popular categories of the reality TV genre in the last few years. We love watching a backyard go from disastrous to dazzling in the blink of an eye and many of us wish the gardening fairies would pay a visit to our place and perform the [...]

Tags: Fierce leadership, inconsistent leadership, Jamie Durie, Makeover, Reputation, Small Business