As a keynote speaker and author dedicated to helping leaders make the best choices with their time, I’ve found that some of my greatest leadership insights come from the backyard. Gardening has taught me so much—not just about cultivating fruit but about cultivating people.

One of the clearest lessons? Leadership is a lot like growing tomatoes and blueberries.

The tale of two plants: Blueberries vs. tomatoes

In my garden, I grow both tomatoes and blueberries. They’re delicious in their own way, but how they grow—and what they require from me—is remarkably different.

Blueberries are low maintenance. Once planted in the right spot and watered early on, they mostly take care of themselves. You harvest the fruit each year and prune the plant after the season ends.

Tomatoes, on the other hand, are higher maintenance. You often start with seeds or seedlings indoors. Then you move them outside, and the real work begins: watering, fertilizing, watching for pests, and most important, providing support. Without staking or caging, tomato plants can’t hold the weight of their own fruit.

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