Leadership from the Lawn

By Peter Zsiga

Applications of observed natural laws to leadership and management with support from recent literature and research are presented engagingly and understandably, allowing for rapid implementation in the workplace. With several levels of simplicity and complexity, these observations will be helpful to current and future leaders and managers at all levels, and in all fields. Whether for profit or charity, applying these suggestions to leadership strategies should produce a more productive workforce, an enhancement to the bottom line and an advancement of the mission.
This is an easy first read, with a raft of simple, immediate applications and several long term strategies for leadership and motivation. A second or third read will deepen the impact and uncover gems left undiscovered the first time. Following the research trail provided will expand the potential of the ideas beyond the normal return on investment.
Easily visualized metaphors serve as the base for transferring principles from nature to organizational and human resource development. It is a valuable addition to the leadership literature and applicable to business, educational, religious and non-profit organizations as well as family and social dynamics. This should be in your go-to library if you have or plan to have any supervisory responsibilities.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Peter Zsiga
• Release date: Jan 27, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301967742

Peter Zsiga

Peter L. Zsiga is a charter member and board member of the International Society for Self-Directed Learning and serves on the editorial board for the International Journal of Self-Directed Learning. He has served as a faculty member and director of a Leadership Training Institute and as a Leadership Field Agent for the YMCA. Dr. Zsiga has made presentations to national, international and regional conferences and researched and written articles on workplace performance and self-directed learning. He has been a Diversity Management Trainer and received Awards of Administrative Excellence for Turnaround and Operating Budget Management from the Association of Professional Directors of the YMCA. Zsiga is retired from St. Lucie County Schools and as a member of the Graduate Adjunct Faculty at Florida Atlantic University. He has an MA and a Ph. D. in Educational Leadership/Human Resource Development from Florida Atlantic University.

Book preview

Leadership from the Lawn

What nature teaches us about leadership

Peter L. Zsiga

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Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2013 Peter L. Zsiga

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 Gentlemen Farmers to Gentleman Landscapers

Chapter 3 Groundbreaking Rules

Chapter 4 More Leadership Principles from the Lawn

Chapter 5 Spring Happens

Chapter 6 Conclusion

Bibliography

Leadership from the Lawn

Chapter 1 Introduction

It’s a Saturday morning in late spring. You open your garage door, roll out the lawnmower, gas it up, pull the cord, listen to the roar, and away you go. You enjoy immediate gratification as you walk into a level patch of green, right next to the untidy strip you’ll be pushing the mover over in a few seconds on the way back. The fresh aroma of newly cut grass floats through your nostrils. The weekend is definitely here, and it hardly gets any better than this. You are in control of your grass. You’re producing a lush green lawn that is the results of your efforts and the envy of your neighbors.

Too bad it’s not this easy at work. If only there was a way to keep associates and employees watered, fertilized and manicured. What a treasure it would be if we could apply the same simple, natural principles that develop and maintain a healthy lawn to employee motivation and organizational development! Perhaps we can.

There is a lot to be learned about leadership from the work of pushing a lawnmower around the house. Our lawns may have more to share with leadership than it first appears. Just like leadership, countless volumes have been published, articles written, and dissertations given on lawn maintenance. Websites for advice and advertisements can fill your search