If you look at any garden large or small it will contain paths. Some paths are straight, flat and open. Others are winding, sloping and enclosed. They have different surfaces with some smooth, some rough, some well marked and others hard to see. With some you can see the end where as others have the [...]

Tags: Career path, emerging leaders, employee engagement, Garden paths, Karen Schmidt, Leadership and gardening, Leadership and management, Leadership skills, Leading is like gardening, learning and development, www.letsgrow.com.au

When you appoint a new leader in your organisation do you leave them exposed to the ravages of the organisation or do you provide them with some shelter from the more extreme elements? It’s not unlike young plants being sheltered from the elements by a larger tree. It certainly helps them get established but you [...]

Tags: emerging leaders, employee engagement, Leadership and gardening, Leadership and management, Leadership skills, Leading is like gardening, Micro managing, New employees, Organisational culture, Workplace gardening, 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

Senior leaders often want to save themselves time and energy by hiring in people for their leadership team who are already skilled and experienced, believing this is the most efficient and effective way to go. I disagree. I believe that growing your own leadership talent pool is far more effective and efficient than bringing in [...]

Tags: emerging leaders, employee engagement, engagement, Karen Schmidt, Leadership and gardening, Leadership and management, Leadership skills, Leading is like gardening, New leaders, Outsourcing, www.letsgrow.com.au

When I was a child my mother gave me a small patch in the garden to grow whatever I wanted. I chose strawberries for a few reasons … they grow fast, are easy to look after and I love eating them! Later she introduced me to other types of plants, helped me to learn the [...]

Tags: Budding leaders, emerging leaders, Engaging leadership, Gen Y, Leaders of the future, Leadership and gardening, Leadership and management, Leadership skills, Leading is like gardening, Next generation leaders, Support for leaders, www.letsgrow.com.au