Gardeners have varying degrees of success in their efforts. Sometimes they are able to get a plant to stay alive and grow leaves but are never able to get it to reach it’s full potential which could be to produce flowers or fruit. I have personally experienced this situation and it can be frustrating to [...]

Tags: employee engagement, Karen Schmidt, Leadership and gardening, Leadership and management, Leadership skills, Leading is like gardening, Management versus leadership, www.letsgrow.com.au

“I can’t abide shrubs that are wrongly chosen for a position and have to be butchered at least once a year. It is very institutional. You see a lot of that happening in public gardens.” William Martin, gardener This butchering of plants happens because somewhere along the way, maybe because it was popular at the [...]

Tags: Leadership and gardening, Leadership and management, Leadership skills, Leading is like gardening, Performance reviews

I was reading a book recently produced by the “Australian Open Garden scheme” where it features interviews and stories by the owners of some of our best private gardens. One comment that caught my eye was by Barbara Jennings, the owner of historic Ashfield house and garden in Tasmania. She believes that: “Lots of garden [...]

Tags: Karen Schmidt, Leadership and gardening, Leadership and management, Leadership is like gardening, Leading is like gardening, Purpose, www.letsgrow.com.au

“Do you focus on the numbers, the outcomes and the fruit? Or do you focus on the purpose, people, innovation, culture and root of your success. Always remember the amount of fruit we produce is just an outcome and measurement of how well we are nurturing our root. If we take care of our root [...]

Tags: Change management, employee engagement, Leadership and management, Leadership skills, Organisational culture, www.letsgrow.com.au