Growing Through Coaching: Lessons From the Garden

I deeply enjoy gardening. I love watching plants grow. The next bud. The plant we haven’t tried before. Is it in the right place? Does it need more or less sun, fertiliser, watering? I resonate with well-known landscape gardener Michael McCoy’s words, “I love the physicality of gardening, the simplicity, the silence. I also love the inherent humility required in partnering with nature. Nature will always be the lead partner, and you’ll succeed only inasmuch as you respond to her quiet promptings.”*

I also deeply enjoy coaching. I love watching people grow. Deep listening, simplicity, silence, the right question at the right moment. And there is an inherent humility required in partnering with a person who wants to grow; they are the lead partner.

Coaches succeed only when we respond to the quiet promptings of the coaching interaction.

A good coach is not interested in offering advice and solutions. Like plants, people know what they need to grow, although they may not be aware of this initially; they just need a gardener who is willing to observe, understand the growing conditions, and who takes joy in helping to generate and partner in growth.

A good coach knows there will be obstacles and helps people see them as diagnostics, finding solutions by looking at what has worked before and identifying the skills and experiences that break old patterns and lead to new ways forward. Much like my attempts to grow citrus trees. I’ve struggled to find the right spot – not too hot, not too shady. I’ve battled scale. I lost the mandarin, harvested just three limes, and currently wait for the one orange on the orange tree to turn, well… orange. But this is only Year One of the citrus project, and I know there is growth happening below the surface. These are the lessons my garden teaches me about people and coaching.

Our garden gives me so much joy, and so does seeing that moment in coaching that leads to breakthrough, momentum, enhanced skills, and deepened understanding. What I know about myself is that I love growth, positive change and seeing success that lasts.

If you’re looking for executive coaching as an educational leader, or you are an aspiring or middle leader looking for leadership coaching, or a school looking for bespoke, affordable leadership consulting, contact me

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*Gardening Australia December 2025