The Leadership Garden Legacy Framework is designed to cultivate flourishing leadership in homes, schools, communities, and businesses through education, empowerment, and engagement.
The Framework connects service-learning in schools, leader-friendly Practice Projects in the community, with business and philanthropy. Our intent is to create a self-sustaining and self-generating social enterprise that will create fertile ground for children to thrive and it begins with you and me.
The Leadership Garden Story
The lessons learned from growing a Leadership Garden and from a physical garden are a natural fit, as demonstrated in the Leadership Garden Course at Gonzaga University in the summer of 2007. Mark Beattie, then a doctoral candidate in Gonzaga Ph.D. Leadership Studies Program, initiated the course; teaching nontraditional students, over age 25, most with families and working full time while attaining a Bachelor of General Studies degree.
Using our adult book U.N.I.Q.U.E.: Growing the Leader Within as the required text, Mark combined personal leadership development; global studies about food issues (including water scarcity, genetic modification, food safety, and sustainable economics); and the growing of a physical garden. The class donated the produce grown to the Spokane Valley Food Bank. The students reported, in an article in the Spokane Spokesman Review:
“I think it’s great we’re integrating leadership skills along with gardening by giving back to the community,” Jackson said. “Mark (Beattie) is awesome to give us this opportunity. To take us out of the classroom, it gives us so much better perspective. It’s hands-on learning.”
“The text has been great,” added Ricks. “It gives you the opportunity for self reflection, to get rid of the weeds in your life, for example. Most of us work full-time and have family. It’s neat to get out of the classroom and do something.”
The concept of service learning is not new. Learning about life and growing gardens is not new. Tying these together with leadership development through metaphor, fable, and practice (inside a nurturing and empowering community-based framework) is new.
Mark demonstrated this well in an adult academic setting. Meeting his students helped guide our direction and inspire our GOAL to seed and nurture 11 million Leadership Gardens across the globe in individuals, families, schools, communities, and businesses by 12/13/2014.
- Our VISION is a thriving worldwide Leadership Garden Legacy where each child’s unique leadership potential blossoms into greatness.
- Our PURPOSE is to sprout greatness by empowering the extraordinary leader in you.
- Our MISSION is to create fertile ground for children to grow and thrive by empowering the leader in everyone.
The Leadership Garden Legacy resources: registry, grants, products, services, and blog are designed to help you achieve your goals and dreams and leave the legacy you desire inside this empowering community.
The Leadership Garden Legacy is powered by Leadership Garden Enterprises LLC and its divisions: Leader Garden Press, the publisher of our products and materials and Leadership Garden Services, the provider of training, coaching, and speaking; all intended to seed and nurture your individual and group leadership.
