The Caretaker vs. The Gardener

Caretaker - a person employed to look after a public building or a house in the owner's absence.
Gardener - a person who tends and cultivates a garden as a pastime or for a living.

I’ve been thinking about caretakers and gardeners as an analogy for leadership, and the comparisons we can draw from each. 

The caretaker is devoid of true ownership. They are simply a steward passing the time until the owner returns. When I think “caretaker”, the words initiative and innovative don’t come to mind. 

Now, before we go any further, this article is not meant to knock caretakers. I’m sure they are all lovely fantastic people. The only caretaker I know is Ben Stiller from “Night at the Museum” and he’s a great guy. So, don’t hold this against me. 

Good leaders are like gardeners, willing to roll up their sleeves and get down on their hands and knees amidst all the muck and dirt. In the definition above, the word cultivate jumped out at me. It seems appropriate when thinking about the good leaders I know. 

Synonyms for cultivate include:

• Plant

• Raise

• Tend

• Mature

• Seed

• Work

The Caretaker is complacent vs. The Gardener who cares for his/her people. 

The Caretaker is there to pass the time. Like a substitute teacher, they’re waiting for the actual teacher to come back vs. The Gardener who plants seeds to raise up other leaders up around them by developing and growing talent. 

It’s easy to slip into the mindset of a caretaker. Turn up, check the box, go home and be on autopilot.

Being a gardener requires intentionality. It’s more work, but equally rewarding. Some of my proudest moments as an executive at a startup is seeing those that I hired years ago into a seemingly “junior position” are now running teams of their own and making a real impact in the workplace. Being a part of that story is incredibly fulfilling. 

Make the choice each day. Am I going to be a caretaker, or am I going to be a gardener?

MT