• You are the one and only true leader of your life
• You have the choice to destroy or empower greatness around you
• Greatness sprouts from the essence of your enlightened spirit with purpose and aim

As I conducted my research on farm animals and agricultural practices for my book, I was intrigued with the way people wrote about animals, gardens, and crops. I found little judgment, enabling, gossip, blame or victimization present in the writing. There was a striking sense of empathy as if the plants, animals, and crops were human.

It dawned on me, why don’t we nurture our fellow humans like we do our animals, gardens, and crop. We know that when we neglect or mistreat them they will wither and die.

The answer stems from language . . . .

I have a little black and white spotted shih-poo dog named Mooko. He is a cross between a shih-tzu and a poodle. He seems to have a mind and language of his own. Even so, I have yet to have him call me names or tell me what I did was stupid or wrong. All he wants is to be fed and nurtured. Even on those days when I am focused on other things, besides him, at the end of the day he still snuggles up to get his hugs and love and we both thrive in that moment. 

In Chapter 4, the Nurturing Meadow of U.N.I.Q.U.E.: Growing the Leader Within Blossom the cow shows Hugh (the heart, mind, and spirit in each of us) the value of growing and nurturing his own Leadership Garden and the garden of those around him. She shows Hugh how she tends her rose garden at the edge of the meadow using eco-friendly fungicide and gardening practices that don’t damage plant and animal life, and ultimately our planet Earth.

Much needed human attention is finally turning to global warming issues and the eco-friendly practices to save our planet. Yet, the need to nurture each other to grow a thriving planet is as critical as our environmental policies and practices. We create the social environment that either nurtures or thwarts our individual and collective human efforts. The six leader-friendly gardening practices at the heart of growing a thriving planet are:

1. Be nonjudgmental. Forcing opinions or personal values on others is toxic to the growth of our Leadership Gardens. Being nonjudgmental connects us to our love and appreciation for others.
2. Don’t enable. Suspending judgment by separating the behavior from the person, allows loving thoughts and communication, without being self-righteous and enabling undesirable behavior.
3. Use empathy. Being responsible for our own thoughts and feelings and to give up “being right” for the moment opens the door to listen to others and is our bridge from survival to thriving leadership.
4. Prune gossip. Often thought of as a harmless form of entertainment, the true underbelly of gossip is that it diminishes our personal power and trust with other. A thriving leader prunes gossip when it begins.
5. Eliminate blame. Blame is a more severe for of gossip and a way to deflect personal responsibility for our lives. Taking 100% responsibility for our life gives us the power to thrive.
6. Eradicate victimization. Victimization is a form of survival leadership that is pervasive in today’s society and robs us of the opportunity to be in control of, and responsible for, how we experience life as a leader.

As I was writing the book and reflecting on these six practices, I couldn’t think of a single person who wouldn’t be positively impacted by the use of these practices. Because you have language, the choice is up to you to destroy or empower greatness around you.