Hold That Thought: What a Winter Garden Teaches Leaders

People are surprised when I tell them winter is one of the most important seasons in the landscape business. The flowers are gone and the grass has gone brown, so it looks like nothing is happening. But underground, the roots are not dormant, but steadily at work.

Leadership has seasons too. This fall we talked about the difficult employee: the plant growing in the wrong place, a weed. These are difficult conversations that often get ignored. It is the plowing of the ground that allows for new growth in the spring. Having the hard conversations, coaching, doing follow ups, all assist leaders in plowing up the status quo and plant new mindsets in these situations.

But as we approach wintertime, don’t put your tools away just yet. Here’s what the quiet season is for:

1. Look back before you move ahead. Mentally, walk the journey and ask what worked, what didn’t, and why?
2. Nourish the roots. The end of the year is a great time to show appreciation and say thank you. A short, specific note to someone who carried extra weight will do more than any party. Recently, a long-time grounds manager at the University of Texas showed me a note I had written him back 10 years ago, long before I had started working here. The point was that he still had the note and still appreciated the message.
3. Choose what you plant in your organization carefully. What you plant in January is what you’ll harvest in July. Pick one or two things you want to grow in your people, and in yourself. Every month I plant a new character trait; work behavior I want to see us grow. If I am not intentional and plant it, nasty weeds will grow in its place instead.

“The garden that looks quiet in winter is usually the one getting ready to surprise you in spring.”

So, hold that thought. Something new is taking root. Stay tuned for my next free webinar, coming in January 2027.

Keep growing,

Jeff