From Roots to Leadership: What We’ve Grown Together

When I walk through the spaces where SILWELL-C has taken root, in conversations, reflections, planning sessions, and leadership circles, I see more than progress. I see growth. I see roots, deep, quiet, intertwined roots of purpose and connection.
Leadership does not begin at the top of the tree; it starts in the soil.

At SILWELL-C, we have grown together. We have crafted a culture of calm, intentional leadership that doesn’t rush the leaves but tends to the roots. Because good growth takes time, and authentic leadership grows where roots are trusted.

Cultivating the Soil

In gardening, the soil is prepared first, rich, well-turned, nourished, before a seed is planted. Likewise, leadership growth begins when we prepare the environment: the practices of reflection, the rituals of wellness, the space for voices to be heard. Leaders who attempt to sprint ahead without tending the soil may grow fast, but their growth may not endure. Research shows the ‘garden metaphor’ for leadership reminds us that “the most important growth in an organization happens inside the people … the roots” of their experience. Regent University+1
We have done this work: we have prepared our soil, built our infrastructure, and rooted our community in principles of Clarity, Openness, Mindfulness, and Presence (COMP).

Patience in the Hidden Work

Like the bamboo tree that spends years developing its root system beneath the surface before it shoots up toward the sky, leaders often perform the most challenging work when no one is watching. Regenesys
Our wellness presenters, staff leaders, coordinators, they are the root workers. The quiet planters. The daily nurturers of culture. They water the ground, not just raise the canopy. Their actions may not always go viral, but they anchor our growth.

Growth That Shows & Growth That Sustains

A tree can shoot upward, impressive and visible, but if its roots are shallow, it will not weather storms. bluecourage.com
We are not just growing in size or output; we are growing in strength, in depth, when a staff member pauses to lead a wellness ritual. When a coordinator quietly aligns the day’s rhythm. When we turn toward each other in presence instead of haste, that growth may not be seen in spreadsheets, but it is seen in culture, in cohesion, in calm.

What We’ve Grown Together

• We’ve grown habits of reflection, short rituals that root us in our purpose rather than distract us from it.
• We’ve grown practices of connection, wellness presenters, leaders, and staff, all planting seeds of belonging.
• We’ve grown leadership that doesn’t dominate but tends the ground for others to stand.
In this season, we shift our lens from what we do to who we become together.
Because roots are not solitary, they intertwine.

A Call to Continued Cultivation

As we move forward, let’s lean into the soil we’ve made. Let’s honor the presenters who laid it, the coordinators who ring it with purpose, the staff who walk it day-to-day.
Let’s remember that when we are rooted in wellness, our leadership becomes an orchard, not a single tree. Each of us is a root, a branch, a fruit, but part of the same whole.

“From roots to leadership: what we’ve grown together, and what we will grow tomorrow.”

Thank you for planting with purpose, watering with care, and tending with heart. The harvest may not be here yet, but the roots are deep. The legacy is being built.

References
Grahn, T. (2008). Analogies between Gardening and Organizational Leadership. Servant Leadership Research Roundtable. Regent University+1
Webb, N. (2024, July 11). The Bamboo Tree Analogy for Leadership: Growing Strong from the Ground Up. Regenesys. Regenesys
“6 Connections Between Gardening and Great Leadership.” (2024, April 22). WeAreExtraordinary Blog. weareextraordinary.co.uk
“Learn, Share, Grow – Developing Deep Leadership Roots.” (2023, June). Blue Courage. bluecourage.com