What insights can we learn from the Chelsea Flower Show?

As shared last week, I am?focussing on one thing at the moment (see?last week's newsletter?for more on that) and as we’ve many new subscribers and the content is still relevant, I'm?sharing a newsletter from the archives written for Chelsea flower show back in 2020.

In this edition of the Landscaping Your Life newsletter, I'm going to be sharing what we can learn from the gold medal winners at the?Chelsea Flower Show?and how to apply that to our own lives.

I love watching the?RHS Chelsea Flower Show?– it’s the time of year when I yearn for greener fingers – or perhaps just more time to use them.

The pride, passion, and enthusiasm for all things horticulture are conveyed in the many BBC programmes as they interview the winners, runners-up, and anyone involved in this wonderful show.?

Tears, laughter, and relief mix as they finally receive feedback on all their efforts.

• Every year, hearing the?stories of the garden designers has me considering what is needed in order to even get to Chelsea, never mind winning gold or even best show garden. For me it includes:Commitment & passion for what they do
• Effective teamwork
• Great design, planning & creativity – often having taken a year or more to do
• Attention to detail
• Timely implementation – they usually have 3 weeks on-site to get the gardens ready for judging on the Sunday, followed by a week of visitors
• Spot on plant selection & quality – with weather significantly impacting what’s at its best for that one short week
• Careful and loving planting
• Meticulous plant care and maintenance

The project's success has much to do with all the things I've listed and will have been led by the head gardener and designer for the gardens to ensure it all works perfectly. Failure on any one of the above and they might fail.

For whatever you're head gardener of - could you say the same?

Would your effort on tending to those in your team enable them to win you a best in class?

Do you have the passion?

How much planning have you done?

Are you attending to every detail?

Are you giving it - and them - the care they need? And would you delight in their success?

What seeds do you need to sow today for your team to win best in show later in the year?

Landscaping your life in turbulent times

I explored this metaphor in a webinar entitled?Landscaping your teams in turbulent times?that I held in 2020 (in collaboration with People Centred Excellence).

In doing the?webinar, I went back to the roots of my Landscaping Your Life (LYL) coaching process and we applied the keys to having a flourishing garden to flourishing at work! See the images below for the 7 keys to having a flourishing team! And you can watch the webinar here:?https://youtu.be/SuoPUruHh5o.

LYL started in the mid-90s when I used gardening as a metaphor for supplier management...when we were surprised to discover that people understood more about 'weeding, feeding, and pruning suppliers' than they did about managing suppliers using the more obvious relationship management models.

Since then LYL has grown arms and legs (or perhaps that’s rivers and mountains) and uses nature more broadly and all its landscapes as metaphors for our lives. It’s been applied to leadership teams, procurement teams, and individuals to help them get back on track.

And finally, I’ll leave you with?a video?that takes insight from how to have a garden buzzing with life and applies it to?having an inspired and buzzing life yourself.

You’ll find more details of the '7 keys to a buzzing life' in my e-zine which you can download a copy of?here.?

Alison xx

My book?Can’t see the wood for the trees – landscaping your life to get back on track?shares many of my Landscaping Your Life (LYL) tools that have been developed over the last 25 years. Tools to help you when you’re stuck in a rut, going round in circles, are out on a limb, or feel like a fish out of water.

You can check out more about Landscaping Your Life via my podcast.?

Listen on Apple podcasts?here.

Listen on Spotify?here.?