What Plants can Teach us about Leadership
In nature, all organisms are drawn to sources of health and energy so you’ll find that plants will always grow towards the light.
Humans are no different. We all know that person that feels like sunlight and others are simply drawn to them. Leaders who incorporate positive leadership embody this natural effect and people will naturally want to follow them.
In this episode, I’m discussing what plants can teach us about leadership. Don’t worry, whether you’re a house plant person or not, this episode will resonate with you.
Let’s start by reflecting on how you can move closer to the light and taking a look at what is getting in the way. I’ll help you by exploring how you can put this into action in your life so you can find the energy, feel the warmth and connect with others in your leadership journey.
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Episode Transcript:
Welcome to Episode Three. Today, we're going to be talking about what plans can teach us about leadership. Now we all know someone that has a bit of an addiction to houseplants. Whether you're a houseplant person or not, this can still apply to you. So I actually rotate my houseplants every few weeks. So they grow straight. And if you're a plant person you understand.
Now, what does this have to do with leadership? Well, the reason that plants grow in one direction has to do with the heliotropic effect.
Wondering what that is? Well, by nature, all organisms are naturally drawn towards sources of health and energy. And that's where plants turn to grow towards the light. So, if you notice that if you have a plant near a window, it will grow in that direction. So, what does that have to do with leadership?
Let's get a little bit nerdy. Humans work similarly. Have you ever met a person that is so generous and warm that you couldn't help, but feel drawn towards them. They feel like literal sunlight. Well, I've certainly met leaders in my time that feel this way. And it has a big impact to those that follow.
On a non-work-related front. My vocal instructor is one of those people. Singing can be a really vulnerable experience. And my vocal teacher has a way of making me feel safe. He's joyful and positive, and even being instructed in a potentially stressful thing, like singing in front of other people. It actually feels okay with him. He leads with confidence and it focuses on the good and encourages me to be better each time. This is Positive Leadership in action. Positivity breeds, positivity, and that ripple effect compounds over time. Now Positive Leadership is not just about being nice, Positive Leadership is about seeing what the opportunities are and growing towards that.
Just like plants grow towards the light. If you have positivity in your leadership, people get drawn towards you and perform better because of it. So instead of picking out what they're doing wrong. Can you look and see what the opportunities are what's working well. And how could that be enhanced?
So this particular singing teacher that I have been going to for many years, he is so good that I actually often send my non singing non-performing clients. Many are CEOs of big businesses, just to go and see him and understand what positive leadership can look like in action.
When these clients go to him although they're not singers. They can see how this positive leadership works. They get a confidence boost that comes from learning how to engage with people authentically. And because he's such a charismatic and positive person and they feel lit up by that experience.
And they can see how this positive psychology and action might be able to be applied in their teams. And even that has a ripple effect again. Which is kind of neat how that works.
If you're feeling discouraged by your current state, your environment, a bad boss or client or something else that's weighing you down. Something that you can do is to practice some awareness about this, but without judgment, Because there's nothing wrong with where you are. You just might need to move a little bit closer to the light.
So in today's episode talking about their heliotropic effect, how can you put this into action in your life? Well, look to the spaces that give you energy, look to the activities and tasks and the people that light you up. See where you can do more of that. And see if there's a space that you can drop some of the things that make you feel drained.
You might be surprised on the outcome.
