Why Leaders are like Gardeners

Cultivating growth through skills and self-awareness

Image - pixabay.com

Imagine being handed a bare patch of earth and told to create a showstopper garden. You wouldn’t be able to do it overnight. You’d plan, dig, plant, water, prune, adjust… and repeat. With patience and consistency—something beautiful takes root.

Personal and professional development works the same way. Growth, whether in confidence or new responsibilities, doesn’t come from a single dramatic leap. It comes from consistent and continuous small steps, taking you just beyond your comfort zone each time —into what I like to call the growth zone.

We’re good at setting ambitious goals—becoming a senior leader, launching a business, mastering a new skill—and then feeling frustrated when it doesn’t happen quickly enough. We get discouraged or put things off. Sometimes the goal feels so big that we freeze before we’ve even started. Other times, we leap in too quickly, with unrealistic expectations, only to burn out or give up. “I’ve failed again,” we tell ourselves, when really, we just didn’t plan properly.

This can be particularly evident in the transition to management. One day, you’re technically brilliant at your job—experienced, confident, in control. The next day, you’re managing a team, and suddenly everything feels unfamiliar. It’s like being new all over again.

Despite how common this shift is, we still cling to the idea that management skills should somehow come naturally. It takes years to become good at our technical roles, why should it be different for management skills?

The key word in Management Skills - is skill. And like all skills, it can be learned, practised, and developed.

The key is to take things step by step. If you’ve just been promoted—or are aiming for promotion—start by understanding your strengths and pinpointing one area you want to improve. Maybe it’s communication, delegation, decision-making, or performance management. Rather than trying to be the perfect manager overnight, focus on a small, realistic action that pushes you just beyond your current ability. Something that lives in the growth zone—not so easy that it’s routine, but not so hard that it feels impossible.

Working backwards from a bigger goal is a powerful technique. Let’s say your long-term aim is to be known as a trusted, inspiring leader. What skills or habits do you need for that? Perhaps at your next one to one you aim to give clear and confident feedback. Then you continue to do it until it becomes ‘natural’. Then choose the next action, and continue – each time you improve your skills and get closer to achieving your aim.

Adding a generous time buffer to achieving your goal can also help. We’re often optimistic about how long something will take. If life gets in the way—as it inevitably does—you risk missing your deadline, not for lack of effort, but because you didn’t allow space for the unexpected. If you do finish with time to spare you feel good and even more motivated to continue.

If you're unsure where to start, ask for feedback. Your team, your peers, even your manager can offer insight into what you do well and where there’s room to grow. Don’t forget to celebrate your strengths—too often we overlook these in our drive to “fix” things. But your strengths are part of your foundation. Use them.

Other ways to get support are to find a mentor, a coach, or just someone whose leadership style you admire, having someone in your corner can make all the difference. Mentors aren’t just for senior leaders. They’re for anyone with a desire to grow—and they’re often the difference between struggling in silence and learning with confidence.

Over time, as you keep stepping into your growth zone, your comfort zone will expand. What once felt like a stretch will become second nature. And just like that garden, your skills will take root, blossom, and flourish.

So whether you're navigating a new role, aiming for promotion, or simply trying to get better at what you do—remember that growth is never instant. But it is inevitable, if you give it the right attention.

Start today. One small step, one skill, one seed at a time.

The Promotion Paradox will be taking a break next week, see you all again on 1 July 2025.