The leadership question that changes everything.
During a recent leadership coaching session, one of my colleagues, Kwesi Johnson posed a brilliant question to the group: “Are you more like a mechanic or a gardener?”
As he went on to explain the distinction, it quickly became apparent that this was a really apt analogy for leaders.
Think about it for a moment. A mechanic has very defined processes. You know how an engine works. When it’s broken, you know how to fix it. Today we have computer diagnostics, simplifying and streamlining the steps. There are predictable solutions. If a part doesn’t work, you replace it.
But gardening requires a completely different approach and is subject to many variables.
You’re working with living things that respond to their environment, to the care you provide, to factors you can’t always control.
When you stop and think about it, effective leadership is far more like gardening than mechanics. It’s more about caring and nurturing than following automated processes.
Gardening and Leading: The Parallels
A gardener starts by cultivating the soil, preparing the ground so that whatever is planted there has a better chance of thriving. The gardener is thinking about nutrients, sunlight, drainage, soil composition—about creating the ideal conditions for growth.
As a leader, you’re taking a similar approach. When you focus on culture, you’re preparing the environment so your team is more likely to grow, not wither.
A gardener also chooses wisely.
When selecting plants, the gardener considers how much sun the area receives. About what plants are likely to thrive in the environment. About what will look good in that area. It’s not just about grabbing whatever looks nice at the garden center and hoping for the best.
The same is true for your team. You hire for fit. You consider who’s going to grow with you. You select based on who’s going to flourish in the environment you’ve created and with the people you already have on board.
Then you have to tend the garden.
The avid gardener keeps an eye on the plants, making sure they have sun, water, nutrients, and air. We watch for problems, spotting early signs they’re struggling.
And, of course, both gardeners and leaders have to deal with toxic weeds.
Because here’s the truth: There are weeds that will choke off your prized plants if you let them take root. You can’t ignore them and hope they’ll go away. You must remove them before they destroy everything around them.
Leaders must also deal with toxicity. Sometimes that means having difficult conversations. Sometimes it means making hard decisions about people who aren’t a fit.
If you don’t, those toxic individuals will push your best performers right out the door.
We must also both prune. This was one of the hardest things for me to learn when I started gardening. I’d see plants growing, getting tall, and I’d get so excited. Then someone would tell me, “You need to prune them back.” What? Cut them back! But they just got to be three feet high!
But if you want a plant to have strong roots and grow fuller, to flourish and bloom rather than just shoot straight up, you have to prune it. In horticulture, there’s something called apical dominance. The plant will keep growing upward until you cut it off. Only then will it spread and fill out with strong roots.
Leadership works the same way. Sometimes you have to limit or put a stop to certain things to encourage people to grow in new ways.
The Difference Between Managing and Leading
So often, the difference between managing and leading is really the same comparison between the mechanic and the gardener. Managing is focused on keeping things running smoothly.
People aren’t machines.
In my opinion, a gardener’s approach is so much more gratifying—not only for the people you’re leading, but for yourself. I love seeing people grow. I love watching them take off and do things independently.
That’s what leadership really is. Growing people.
So here’s the question for you: Are you approaching leadership like a mechanic? Waiting for things to break so you can fix them? Looking for predictable, mechanical solutions to human problems?
Or are you approaching leadership like a gardener? Cultivating. Nurturing. Creating conditions where people—and your culture—can bloom and grow.
Tags: coaching employees, developing employees, effective management, employee development, healthcare leadership, Leadership, leadership development, Organizational Culture
