Book a Leadership Clarity Call
🌿 When Leaders Grow, People Bloom: What My Dying Begonia Taught Me About Leadership
This reflective leadership article uses a simple, everyday moment — trying to grow a houseplant — to reveal a powerful truth about how people thrive at work. Through humor, vulnerability, and a relatable story of a begonia that didn’t survive, Sarai VanderWood explores why some individuals flourish in certain environments while others struggle, and how leaders play a critical role in shaping the culture where their teams can grow. Anchored by insights from Big Trust and Simon Sinek, this piece reminds leaders that thriving isn’t about fixing the person — it’s about nurturing the environment. A heartfelt, practical lesson for anyone committed to building workplaces where people bloom.
7/13/20262 min read
🌿 When Leaders Grow, People Bloom: What My Dying Begonia Taught Me About Leadership
I’ve been trying my hand at growing a couple of houseplants lately. A few weekends ago, I visited a friend on a girls’ weekend, and her home was full of beautiful, thriving plants. Everywhere I looked — lush leaves, vibrant colors, life. I thought, Okay… I can do this.
I’ve tried growing plants before without much luck, but I decided to give it another shot. While we were out shopping, my friend found a gorgeous begonia. She split it three ways, and I proudly took my piece home. I was officially going to be a plant owner.
I had the best of intentions. I watered it. I placed it outside next to a couple of other plants that were thriving. I checked on it.
And then… it shriveled up and died.
My friend joked, “Well, you can raise tall, strong boys — but you can’t raise plants.” I laughed, because honestly… fair.
What made it worse? My other two friends who took home pieces of the same begonia? Their plants were thriving. Growing. Blooming.
Mine didn’t stand a chance.
🌱 The Quote That Stopped Me in My Tracks
I was reading Big Trust by Dr. Shadé Zahrai and Fayçal Sekkouh when I came across a line that hit me right in the gut:
“When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows — not the flower.”
Suddenly, the begonia wasn’t just a begonia. It was a mirror.
I joked with my friends that any plant living at my house needs to fight for survival. But how many workplaces feel exactly like that?
Some people shrivel up and lose their spark. Some thrive in the exact same environment. Some hang on, doing “just fine,” but never truly bloom.
My gerber daisy sitting right next to the begonia? Perfectly happy. Same sunlight. Same water. Same owner.
The difference wasn’t the plant. It was what the plant needed — and what I didn’t know how to provide.
🌼 Leadership Isn’t About the Plant — It’s About the Environment
This is where the leadership lesson comes in.
Plants don’t thrive because they’re strong. They thrive because someone knows how to nurture them.
My friends’ plants are flourishing because they understand what each plant needs — light, shade, water, soil, space. They adjust the environment so the plant can grow into what it was created to be.
Leaders owe their teams the same thing.
Your people are not failing because they’re incapable. They’re struggling because the environment isn’t giving them what they need to thrive.
Some employees need clarity. Some need encouragement. Some need structure. Some need autonomy. Some need to know you see them.
As leaders, we are responsible for creating the culture, conditions, and support that allow our people to bloom — not wither.
And as Simon Sinek reminds us:
“Leadership is not about being in charge. It’s about taking care of those in your charge.” — Simon Sinek
When we get it right, people show up with confidence, energy, and pride. When we get it wrong, they quietly shrink, shut down, or burn out.
🌺 The Heart of It All
That little begonia reminded me of something I deeply believe:
People don’t thrive by accident. They thrive because someone invests in them.
They thrive because someone pays attention. Because someone cares enough to adjust the environment. Because someone leads with intention, compassion, and clarity.
Leadership is a gift — one God has entrusted to me, and one I feel called to share with others. And sometimes, the best leadership lessons come from the smallest, most unexpected places… even a dying houseplant.
