E155: What a Dying Plant Taught Me About Leadership

Send us a text

Have you ever noticed something withering in the corner of your workspace and walked right past it? That neglected detail might be telling you something crucial about your leadership.

During a recent getaway to Quebec City, I found myself in a once-beloved coffee shop that had clearly lost its way. The dying plant in the corner, the dusty windows, the debris on the floor, and the rushed, impersonal service told a story far more powerful than any mission statement hanging on the wall. This wasn't just about a disappointing coffee experience – it was a profound metaphor for how organizations quietly erode when leadership becomes disconnected from daily operations.

What struck me most was the gap between this brand's celebrated origin story – built on craftsmanship, care and community – and the reality I encountered. Businesses don't collapse overnight. They diminish through a slow process of neglect that begins with seemingly insignificant details that no one addresses. The withering plant isn't just about horticulture – it represents care. The dust isn't merely about cleanliness – it signals attention. The rushed service reveals engagement levels and potential burnout.

This episode invites you to ask: Where are you letting something wither quietly in the corner of your leadership? What metaphorical plants need your attention – in your team, your organization, or even in your personal wellbeing? If someone were to walk into your leadership today, what would they feel? Because leadership isn't loud all the time, but it is always visible – even in the things we forget to tend to.

Join me for this thoughtful exploration of how true leadership reveals itself not in grand gestures but in consistent care. If you're ready to lead with more intention and less autopilot, subscribe to Unchartered and Unfiltered, and visit cynthiajamesoncoach.ca to learn more about one-on-one coaching for leaders who want to lead authentically.

Support the show

Please rate and review with your honest opinion. Subscribe and share with your colleagues especially if you have worked with me and found value in the work we’ve done together.

Connect with me in my favourite places, LinkedIn and Instagram and my website is: https://www.cynthiajamiesoncoach.ca/

• Book a FREE Call to Explore Coaching

Make it a great week!

Cynthia Jamieson 🧡🌱

Leadership coach for high-integrity leaders who want to thrive without proving or burning out | Ex-HR Exec | ICF PCC Coach | Podcast Host | Intuitive Intelligence® Method Guide

Episode Transcript

Cynthia (00:05):
Welcome to Unchartered and Unfiltered the journey back
to you.
I am Cynthia Jameson, your host, and this is where we break
free from the noise and divedeep into what truly matters you
.
If you're tired of the shoulds,the expectations and the
pressures to fit into a moldthat doesn't serve you, you're
in the right place.
This isn't a podcast about easyanswers or sugar-coated advice.

(00:32):
This is your invitation toreclaim your path, embrace the
unknown and become the bold,unapologetic version of yourself
that's been waiting to show up.
It's time to get unfiltered.
Let's get started.
Hello, hello, and welcome backto Unchartered and Unfiltered a
journey back to you.
I am your host, cynthiaJamieson, and I'm so glad that

(00:52):
you are here.
Today's episode is a littlestory, a little insight and a
big reminder that leadershipisn't always about the big, bold
moves.
Sometimes it's about what weoverlook, what we stop tending
to, what quietly fades out offocus until it's too late to
ignore.
Now let me share my story.

(01:14):
This past weekend, my husbandand I were away in beautiful
Quebec City.
It was the kind of weekend thatjust fills my soul Slow
mornings, charming streets,cobblestone shops on every
corner.
There was a huge cruise shipthat was visiting, with lots of
tourists.
There was the FAQ, which is thefestival in Quebec.

(01:38):
It's the largest one in Canada,from what I understand, and we
didn't know anything about thecruise ship or the festival.
It just added to our experienceand it was amazing.
It was amazing.
And then, as we were walking, Iwant to just get to this coffee
shop idea.
So on the Friday night we werejust kind of walking, scoping it

(02:00):
all out, getting our lay of theland about where we were going
to be, what we were going toplan, what we were going to do,
and I noticed a coffee shop thatI hadn't been to in a while and
it was a coffee shop that Iused to love and I lit up.
Truly, I was super excited.
I remembered the warmexperience that they used to

(02:23):
create, the attention to detailthat they had, the little things
like having your pastry,whatever treat that you ordered
for yourself, having that platedon an actual plate or even on a
paper plate, depending on whatthey had available.
You would have a proper knife,you would have butter when it
made sense, and staff who smiledand took a moment to get to

(02:46):
know you.
So I was super excited toexperience this coffee shop and
we didn't get to go until thevery last morning.
So when we went in, this is whenthings started to feel a little
off.
So I started to place my orderand before I even finished the
barista was rushing me likeliterally trying to check me out

(03:07):
with the two coffees before Ieven finished placing my order.
So I had to say to the baristaI'm actually not finished
ordering and I've never, ever,had to say that before.
There was no warmth, there wasno presence, it was
transactional at best.
So we get our coffee, we sitdown, and that's when I really

(03:31):
started to take notice of thespace.
So just imagine I'm going toinvite you into this experience
with me.
In the corner there is thisdying plant.
It's neglected, it is barelyholding on.
There's been no water given toit, the leaves are brown,
They've cracked off somewhere.
On the floor near the entrance,there is debris on the floor,

(03:53):
there are empty sugar packets,there are little stir sticks and
I had noticed that briefly,like out of the corner of my eye
, as we walked in and that wasprobably a flag right, and there
are always flags.
And as I'm sitting there I'mnoticing the windows.
They are coated with dust andthe chairs, let's just say that

(04:14):
they hadn't been wiped down in along time, maybe not even since
COVID and I just sat there.
I sat there, I had my coffee inhand and I felt sad, not
because of the coffee, becausethe coffee was still good, but
what about this that itrepresented to me?

(04:37):
So here's what struck me mostabout that.
This cafe is not some unknownspot.
It is a recognizable brand.
It is one that has built itsreputation on craftsmanship, on
care, on community.
Their origin story talks aboutstarting as a humble kiosk that
grew into a national name byfocusing on quality and creating

(04:59):
a truly individual experiencefor every customer.
They speak about innovations,sustainability and putting
people first, and maybe that'swhat used to be true.
That was at least my priorexperience.
It felt like that.
But this weekend that wasn't myexperience and I didn't feel

(05:21):
like a valued guest.
I did not feel a sense of careor pride as I was sitting in the
space.
I felt rushed, I felt unseenand, honestly, I felt so
disappointed.
I felt disappointed for thestaff, I felt disappointed for
the product, I just feltdisappointed.
And that's the thing aboutleadership, because it shows up

(05:41):
in the disconnect between whatwe say we value and what
actually happens on the ground.
So, whether it's in a cafe, aboardroom or a team Slack
channel, people know when it'sjust words, they feel when the
values are no longer lived.
And so, from where I sit, assomeone with years of experience

(06:04):
, decades of experience in HR,leading teams and coaching high
potential leaders now this isthe work that I do.
These aren't just messy details,these are signals.
These are subtle ones, yes, butthey are signals just the same.
The dying plant, that's care orlack of it.

(06:25):
The dust, the debris, that'sattention or it's disconnection.
The rushed service, that'sengagement or burnout.
And my husband and I startedtalking about this, about how
businesses don't just fall apartall at once.
They erode quietly, slowly,through disengaged individuals,

(06:47):
disengaged team, throughleadership that is too far
removed to notice, right, so theleaders aren't there on the
floor, and who knows if theyever go there, right?
I just don't know that, right.
And this is a culture now thathas stopped caring about the

(07:10):
experience, about the people,about the mission, about their
origin story.
And I had this moment, thisvisual of being the undercover
HR person, in disguise, if youwill just like the show
Undercover Boss, except for,instead of uncovering scandals,
I was actually uncoveringsilence, the absence of care.

(07:32):
But it got me thinking likewhere are we as individuals not
paying attention?
Where are we letting somethingwither quietly in the corner?
And sometimes it's not a plant,sometimes it's our team,
sometimes it's us, it's our ownenergy, it's our own boundaries,

(07:54):
it's our own sense of joy.
And leadership isn't loud allof the time, but it is always
visible, even in the things thatwe forget to tend to, even in
the things that we forget totend to.
And this was just such abeautiful metaphor, in such an

(08:15):
awakening way, to just notice.
And I want to ask you this, andI'm asking this with love Is
there a metaphorical plant inyour life or work that's being
neglected?
Are you so focused onperformance, deadlines and the
delivery that you've stoppedlooking around at what's
gathering dust?
And if someone were to walkinto your leadership right now,

(08:37):
what would they see?
What would they feel?
What would that experience belike?
Now, to be clear, that coffeeshop didn't ruin my weekend, but
it did remind me of somethingimportant Care is not a bonus,
it's not fluff, it is thefoundation.
And when leaders stop caringwhether it's about the details,

(08:58):
the people or themselves.
Everyone feels it.
Your customer feels it, yourteam feels it, you feel it.
So this is my invitation to you.
If this story has sparkedsomething, if you're ready to
connect to what matters, to leadwith more intention and less

(09:19):
autopilot, I would love tosupport you to learn more about
my one-on-one coaching for new,emerging, high potential leaders
who want to lead in a way thatfeels authentic, sustainable and
deeply aligned.
Leadership that feels like you.
Or if you're not quite sure yet, that's okay, send me a DM or a

(09:39):
voice note.
I always love hearing what'sresonating with you.
This is Unchartered andUnfiltered, and this is your
journey back to you.
Take care and I'll see you nextweek.
Bye, I hope that you're walkingaway feeling more aligned with
your true self, more confidentin the choices ahead and ready

(10:00):
to leave the safe path behind,knowing you've got everything
you need within.
Remember, the journey to youisn't about finding one perfect
direction.
It's about trusting yourselfenough to explore all of it.
If you're ready to dive deeper,join me for the next episode
and don't forget to subscribe sothat you never miss the next

(10:20):
step on your path.
I invite you to join my mailinglist at
wwwcynthiajamesoncoachca, wherewe'll deepen our relationship
and you can claim your copy ofyour Inner Compass, a guide to
charting your course toauthenticity.
Until next time, stayunfiltered, stay true and, most
importantly, stay you.