Part II: Grace for the Struggling Team Member

Perhaps It’s the Wrong Garden

In Part I of this series, we examined leadership responsibility when performance falls short. Exceptional leaders look at the system and themselves before assigning blame. But responsibility does not end there—the next discipline is how we correct others without diminishing them.

Flourishing in the Right Garden

When performance falters, leaders may quickly conclude that the person is “not good enough.” A wiser question is this: Is this the wrong plant, or the wrong garden?

Some plants thrive in shade, while others require full sun. Some need support and staking, while others spread best with room to grow. It is the right fit between plant and environment that enables flourishing.

When someone struggles, careful leaders diagnose before judging:

• Is this a cultural fit issue?
• Is there a job competency gap?
• Is the behavior appropriate, including under pressure?
• Or has the individual’s professional development failed to keep pace with expectations?

This is not about lowering standards. It is about aligning expectations with reality.

Just as plants require the right soil and climate, people flourish when culture, capability, and clarity align.

No Shame

Grace does not mean excusing repeated misalignment. Not every plant belongs in every garden. And sometimes team members cannot meet the role’s requirements. But great leaders correct without attacking the team member.

Shame:

• shuts down growth
• narrows thinking
• invites defensiveness instead of development

Standards focus on agreed-upon:

• behavior
• outcomes
• growth

The conversation becomes, “This result does not meet the standard.” instead of, “You are the problem.” When dignity is upheld, learning and growth remain possible.

The Leader’s Role in Cultivation

Plants do not shame themselves into growth. They require:

• healthy soil (culture)
• sunlight (clarity)
• consistent watering (coaching)
• pruning when necessary (responsibility)

If we want thriving teams, we must cultivate growth, not simply demand that expectations be met. And when a plant truly does not fit the garden, the most caring act may be honest redirection rather than silent frustration. Transplanting is an act of caring and respect.

Grace makes standards sustainable—it does not eliminate them.

Leadership Reflection

• Is this underperformance about fit or proper professional development?
• What would change if I treated this moment as a learning opportunity rather than a judgment?

Next Week: Part III

While leaders are asked to extend grace outward, many struggle to extend it to themselves.

Next week, we will explore the final discipline in this series: grace for oneself—the leader. The gardener working under relentless pressure, without the proper tools, can only do so much, even when trying their best.

Sustainable success requires care not only for the plant but also for the gardener.