The way you lead your team and grow your business determines whether you’re cultivating a transactional or thriving business.
Ask yourself: Are you a mushroom grower or a rose grower?
Mushroom growers thrive in the dark. That’s literally how mushrooms grow (kept in the shadows and fed sporadically). Unfortunately, this metaphor applies to far too many business leaders.
Without realising it, leaders who operate like mushroom growers often:
- Lack a clear vision for the business
- Deliver inconsistent or confusing messages to their team
- Prioritise short-term production over long-term development
- Create environments where staff are kept in the dark and fed whatever information happens to come up
When your people don’t see a future or path for growth, they’re unlikely to contribute their best ideas, let alone stick around long enough to blossom.
Contrast this with the mindset of a rose grower:
Rose growers are deliberate. They prune branches that aren't growing in the right direction. They feed and fertilise consistently. They protect the plant from pests. Most importantly, they focus on the end result: the blossom.
As a leader embracing rose-growing principles, you:
- Set a clear direction and align with your partners on that vision
- Identify each team member’s potential and coach them toward it
- Prune behaviours and practices that don’t support growth
- Build an environment where development and performance coexist
- Celebrate progress and visible results along the way
This mindset shift isn’t just about better management, but rather about transforming into a value-driven, future-focused organisation.
Start growing roses. To move your organisation forward, you need to lead with intention.
Here are some actionable steps to help you get started
- Define your vision for your organisation
- Align your leadership team
- Train your staff to have forward-looking conversations
- Create systems for consistency and follow-through
- Celebrate every step forward
Tax and Trust have been our Church’s Accountants for approximately 13 years. They always do their upmost for our Church and for any help I need or questions answered. As we are a Charity they take care of all our Charity Obligations with filing to the Charities Commission and with our Auditors with their yearly audit of our Accounts. We use the XERO Accounting System and Michelle and her team always help us with any queries. The whole team at Tax & Trust have always been friendly and helpful to myself. I have no hesitation in recommending them for any Clients that are Charities or just need new Accountants that they can trust who are professional & efficient Accountants.
