Ideas worth exploring. Conversations worth having.
Welcome to Seeds of Leadership.
Leadership isnât learned only in boardrooms. Sometimes the most valuable lessons come from building a business, watching a rugby match, exploring a scientific breakthrough or reflecting on an ordinary moment in life.
Iâm Christopher Leonard, and I write about leadership, entrepreneurship, innovation, stewardship and purpose.
Much of my writing draws on experiences from business and leadership, but Iâm equally interested in what we can learn from the world around us. A Formula 1 team, an agricultural innovation or a conversation with another person can offer perspectives we might otherwise overlook.
Iâve organised my writing into collections to make it easier to explore.
Some are established series. Others are growing collections of ideas. You donât need to read them in order. Simply find something that interests you and see where it takes you.
đ± Seeds for Thought
Agriculture, innovation and the ideas shaping our future.
Agriculture has always been a story of innovation, adaptation and people finding better ways to do things.
Seeds for Thought explores the ideas, technologies and challenges that influence how we grow food and feed the world.
Some reflections are about leadership. Others are simply about fascinating developments in agriculture, the people behind them and the questions they raise.
A good place to begin:
12 Fridays. 12 Seeds. Plenty of Food for Thought.
A reflection on the first collection of Seeds for Thought and the ideas that brought it together.
An example of how agricultural imagery can open up a wider conversation.
Explore more in the Seeds for Thought collection.
đ Seeds & Rugby
What sport can teach us about leadership, teamwork and success.
Rugby offers a remarkable window into leadership.
From the decisions made on the pitch to the expectations of supporters, there are lessons about teamwork, resilience, accountability and what it really means to succeed.
Inspired particularly by my experiences following AS BĂ©ziers HĂ©rault, these reflections look beyond the final score to explore the people, decisions and circumstances that shape performance.
You donât need to be a rugby supporter to recognise the leadership questions.
A good place to begin:
The Moving Goalposts of Success
A reflection on how expectations change and why the way we define success matters.
Looking beyond results to consider the wider lessons sport can offer.
Explore more in the Seeds & Rugby collection.
đïž Leadership in Formula 1
The entrepreneurs, innovators and leaders behind the racing.
Formula 1 is about much more than fast cars and talented drivers.
Behind every successful team are entrepreneurs, engineers, strategists and leaders working in an environment where innovation is relentless, competition is unforgiving and small decisions can have enormous consequences.
This series explores the people who have shaped Formula 1, the organisations theyâve built and the leadership lessons that extend well beyond motorsport.
A good place to begin:
Bruce McLaren: The Entrepreneur Behind the Racing Legend
The story of a man whose legacy reaches far beyond his achievements as a racing driver.
More stories from the people behind Formula 1 are on the way.
đĄ Leading Innovation & Change
Ideas, creativity and the challenge of making progress happen.
Innovation is easy to celebrate in hindsight. Leading it is considerably more complicated.
How do we encourage creativity without losing focus? How do we challenge established ways of thinking? And how do we help people navigate the uncertainty that accompanies change?
Drawing on business experience, management research and the practical realities of organisational leadership, this collection explores how innovation happens and what leaders can do to support it.
It will also examine disruptive innovation, organisational resistance and the difference between having a good idea and turning it into meaningful change.
This collection is currently taking shape, with a new Leading Innovation series in development.
đł Business, Growth & Ownership
Building businesses, developing people and navigating change.
Businesses are more than financial results, products and processes. Theyâre communities of people working towards something together.
Having spent much of my career helping build and lead a specialist software company, Iâm particularly interested in what happens as organisations grow, leadership responsibilities evolve and ownership changes.
This collection explores entrepreneurship, organisational growth, leadership development, acquisitions and the challenges of building businesses that can thrive beyond their founders.
A good place to begin:
Access to Brilliant People Is a Strength, Not a Threat
A reflection on the importance of surrounding ourselves with capable people rather than feeling threatened by them.
Half a Lifetime, a Quarter of a Legacy
A more personal perspective on a long chapter of professional life and the legacy associated with it.
Explore more writing on business, growth and leadership.
âš Purpose & Significance
Reflections on leadership, relationships and what really matters.
Not everything that matters can be measured.
Some of my writing explores the more personal side of leadership and life: purpose, relationships, faith, influence and the difference we make to the people around us.
Iâm particularly interested in the distinction between success and significance. Success can be measured through achievements and milestones. Significance asks a different question: what difference did our presence make?
These reflections are often more personal, but the questions are ones we can all consider.
A good place to begin:
Why I Favour Significance Over Success
The original reflection that began an ongoing exploration of success and significance.
Beyond Success: Choosing Significance in Practice
Taking the idea further and considering what choosing significance might look like in everyday life.
More reflections on purpose, relationships and significance will follow.
đ± Where to Begin?
If youâre new to Seeds of Leadership and arenât sure where to start, here are three suggestions.
For a leadership perspective: Access to Brilliant People Is a Strength, Not a Threat
For an entrepreneurial story: Bruce McLaren: The Entrepreneur Behind the Racing Legend
For something more personal: Beyond Success: Choosing Significance in Practice
Or simply visit the full archive and see what catches your attention.
A Continuing Conversation
Seeds of Leadership is a growing collection of ideas, experiences and questions.
I donât write because I believe I have all the answers. I write because I enjoy exploring ideas, connecting experiences and discovering what we might learn from one another.
If something here makes you think, challenges an assumption or reminds you of your own experience, Iâd love to hear your perspective.
After all, some of the most interesting ideas begin with a conversation.
Thank you for exploring.
Christopher Leonard
đ± Seeds of Leadership â Ideas worth exploring. Conversations worth having.