I have just finished reading a book called “A garden of my own: Australian gardeners’ stories” by Louise Earwaker and Neil Robertson. It is a collection of pieces written by gardeners from around Australia who have taken part in the Open Garden Scheme. This program was established in 1987 to promote the knowledge and pleasure [...]

Tags: Leadership and management, Leadership skills, Leadership styles

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

One of my jobs recently at www.nscf.org.au was to cut the diseased leaves off the tomato plants so that the problem didn’t spread and affect the fruit crop. I was then instructed to put those pieces in the bin, not the compost pile, so that the disease would not be spread elsewhere. Once I was [...]

Tags: disengaged employees, Fierce leadership, inconsistent leadership, managing poor performers

  The sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica) is inspiring US engineers to build robots that change shape depending on their environment. Sensitive plants get their name from the way they fold their leaves when touched. This changes the flow of water in the plant, causing water to rush into some cells which expand, and rush out [...]

Tags: Employee Communication, employee engagement, Giving feedback, sensitive employees

I was volunteering at www.nscf.org.au the other day in the backyard garden which has a rooster and two hens in residence. All of a sudden there was the huge commotion at the chicken coop. The girls and Specky the rooster were furiously clucking and crowing away. We had thoughts of an invader in the pen [...]

Tags: Employee Communication, Employee morale, employee recognition, Leadership and management, Leadership skills