Last Wednesday was one of those days. My daughter had a full-day regional cross-country meet. I was working out of my campervan in between events, and that evening, my son had a two-hour baseball practice across town.
In between—fully exhausted—I knew I needed to step into nature, to get my feet on the dirt. There’s a trail near my house called Magic Mountain, and I dashed over there. Within minutes, I could feel myself come back. My breath slowed. The noise in my head quieted. My nervous system softened.
That short hike helped me remember what I know is true: nature reconnects us. A University of Michigan study found that even a brief walk in nature, compared to walking in a city, can significantly improve memory, focus, and overall cognitive function.
Which is why I meet my clients outdoors as often as possible.
I return to nature again and again in my leadership work because it mirrors the deeper truths of how real change happens, in cycles, in connection, and in rhythm. Nature doesn’t need a strategic plan to change, it just does. It adapts to conditions. It leans into interconnection. It lets go when it’s time.
In a world full of noise, pressure, and constant acceleration, nature brings us back to something ancient and intelligent. Rumi reminds us:
“Try not to resist the changes that come your way. Like autumn leaves, fall gracefully, and let what is meant to remain endure.”
Leading Through Change: What Nature Teaches Us
Whether you’re navigating a restructuring, stepping into a new role, redesigning a team, or rethinking culture, change is rarely linear. It’s messy. Emotional. Uncertain.
And yet, it’s also full of possibilities.
Here are five natural systems that offer surprisingly practical guidance for navigating leadership and organizational change:
1. The Wildfire: Release to Regenerate
Forests don’t avoid fire. In many ecosystems, fire is necessary as it clears the underbrush, activates dormant seeds, and creates space for renewal.
Leadership is no different. Sometimes what feels like destruction—letting go of outdated roles, systems, or beliefs, is actually what makes space for what’s next.
Try this: Ask yourself or your team: What are we clinging to that’s no longer serving us? What needs to be intentionally released to regenerate?
2. The Mycelium Network: Lead Through Connection
Beneath every healthy forest is a vast, invisible web of mycelium, exchanging nutrients and information, supporting both strong and struggling trees.
Change doesn’t happen in isolation. And the most effective leaders don’t act alone. They build trust networks. They sense into the emotional field. They invest in the unseen.
Try this: In your next team meeting, notice who is connected—and who’s not. Strengthen the human threads before focusing only on results.
3. The Ocean Currents: Trust the Flow
Tides rise and fall. Currents shift direction. Marine ecosystems don’t fight the water, they move with it.
During change, we often resist the unknown. We tighten our grip. We crave clarity before it’s time. Leading through change requires an ability to navigate uncertainty, to listen for what’s emerging, even before it’s fully formed.
Try this: Replace “What’s the plan?” with “What’s the next wise step?” Trust movement over mastery.
4. The Edge Ecosystem: Innovation Happens at the Margins
In nature, the richest biodiversity exists at the edges, where meadow meets forest, where ocean meets shore. These liminal spaces are full of experimentation and possibility.
Likewise, in organizations, the most valuable insights often come from those at the margins—new voices, frontline staff, unconventional thinkers.
Try this: Ask: What voices aren’t being heard in this moment of change? What perspectives could expand our path forward?
5. The Seasons: Normalize the Cycle
Trees don’t bloom year-round. They rest. They conserve. They drop what’s no longer needed. Organizations and leaders benefit from honoring cycles, too. There are seasons for growth, for integration, for rest.
Try this: Frame your change process in seasons. What phase are you in—emergence, building, harvest, compost? What rhythm wants to be honored now?
Nature Helps Us Lead Beyond Reactivity
At the core of most leadership struggles in times of change is reactivity: control, fear, urgency, isolation.
Nature invites us into a different posture. One that aligns more closely with what The Leadership Circle calls Creative Leadership, a shift from fear-based patterns to purpose-driven presence.
We don’t bypass the hard stuff. We engage in it from a place of grounded awareness.
Nature reminds us we’re not separate from the systems we lead. That change is not a problem to solve, it’s the path of possibility. And that real transformation follows the same rhythms nature has always known.