When it comes to growing leaders, it's important to know what kind of plants you're dealing with.
Doing leadership development is really not so different from working as a gardener. You start by planting some seeds, and help them grow strong through repeated nurturing, nourishment and watering. And that needs to be done regularly. You don't water your plants once and you're done.
Not all plants need the same thing, and there are also many very different plants that all have their own strengths.
Research shows that we can divide the qualities that characterize good leaders into four orientations. In an ideal world, everyone would be equally good at everything - but in practice, it's often the case that you're better at some things than others.
If you recognize the different types you have in the workplace, it will also be easier to know what you should prioritize training. There's no point in building up an orientation that the manager in question has already mastered with flying colors.
Solsikken - Good relationships produce good results.
Do you have a leader who always makes others feel seen at work? Who treats others with respect, understanding and makes collaboration easier? Who simply brightens up the workplace a little extra?
Then they probably have a lot of sunflower in them.
Solsikken is particularly good at the relationship management orientation. These leaders stand out by having a particularly keen eye for the individuals at work - what they are good at, what they need extra support with, and what they need to become the best version of themselves.
A workplace doesn't work if everyone is working on their own island, with a leader who only manages them from afar. There's no danger of that when you have a sunflower in the leadership role.
Chilli pepper - Do something new and exciting, preferably yesterday!
Change management is like chili peppers - hot, hot, hot! If you're into leadership, you'll hear it everywhere. And there's no doubt that those who have a real chili pepper in the workplace often get further, faster, than those who don't.
The chili pepper sees opportunities everywhere and is not afraid to try something new. The worst thing for a chili pepper is to continue on the same boring track as before. If you get a little burnt along the way, that's okay - you've learned something!
At their best, the chili pepper is the energetic visionary who also gets the rest of the team to look beyond the next quarter. By looking up in this way, the chili pepper is in a unique position to fill employees with a sense of motivation and purpose. We're actually building something here.
The cactus - Get the job done.
The cactus is the task-oriented leader who is good at focusing on the present. Without good cacti at work, you might as well pack up the whole business.
Concrete and decisive are keywords for the cactus. It is at its best when it comes to all the small and large tasks that need to be done every week that actually make the business run.
As a manager, the cactus is good at making sure employees do the same - whether that means breaking down larger projects into clear sub-goals, or having the difficult, confrontational conversation when someone needs a little push.
When we buy a cactus to put on a windowsill, it's often because we know it will survive. It often doesn't need a lot of praise and care, and expects others to deliver. It may seem sharp to some, but directness is one of the cactus's greatest strengths.
The Monstera - Plant, lead yourself!
The monstera may not be as iconic as the other three plants we've chosen - and that's deliberate. The last management orientation is self-management, which has only come into focus in recent years.
Like the plant, self-management is particularly popular among younger generations, and often adorns the living room at home - as do many who have put the hybrid office to good use after two years in quarantine.
A monstera leader is committed to giving employees autonomy, trusting that they work better without a manager breathing down their necks. At the same time, it requires the leader to almost take on the role of coach, helping them to find the answers they seek themselves.
It requires a delicate balance between giving too much and too little - but a good monstera is one that masters this.
Don't be one plant; be an ecosystem!
Finally, a word of warning: When we divide people into "types", it's important not to see it as an excuse to put a label on yourself and stop healing.
Instead, think of it as an opportunity to become aware of not only our own strengths, but also the strengths of others who are completely different from ourselves. They are often the ones we have the most to learn from.
The best manager is a sunflower, chili pepper, cactus and monstera - and knows when it's important to bring out each of their traits. Just as a uniform monoculture eventually depletes the soil of nutrients, too much focus on one orientation can mean the others wither away.
But if we combine the qualities from all four, it's possible to cultivate an entire ecosystem - and you're guaranteed to reap great rewards in your leadership role.
