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Leadership Garden
Early one spring morning, Leda—akind and passionate gardener—sat
on her back porch sipping tea. A
cool breeze blew through her hair. I love
this season. It is a time of hope and growth.
Leda sat down her tea, gathered her sun
hat, tools and basket o seeds, and headed
out to her newly-plowed garden.
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U.N.I.Q.U.E. KIDS—Growing My Leadership Garden
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She knelt down and crumbled the sot warm dirt
between her hands. Opening one o her seed packages,she careully placed each tiny seed side by side in the dirt.
“Grow strong little seeds. Send out your roots and sprout
your leader. And when the time is right you will blossom
and be ruitul.” Leda heard a rustle in the grass. A sheep
was walking toward her.
“Hello there. Where did you come rom?” Leda asked.“I came rom the orest behind the hills. I’m lost and
I’m a long way rom home,” the sheep said. “I saw a light
rom your armhouse last night; I thought this might be
a sae place.”
“Well, you’ve come to the right spot. What’s your
name?”The sheep stepped back. “My name is Hugh.”
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Chapter 1—Leadership Garden
Leda leaned orward and smiled. “What a lovely and
noble name. Did you know your name means heart, mind,and spirit—the places where leadership begins?”
“I didn’t know names had meanings.”
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U.N.I.Q.U.E. KIDS—Growing My Leadership Garden
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Leda pointed toward the Leadership Farm. “Many
unique arm animals live here and they all have a purposeand a name that means something special. We grow fowers
and crops you can eat, but we also plant and watch over
special Leadership Gardens.”
“What’s a Leadership Garden?” asked Hugh, looking
around.
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Chapter 1—Leadership Garden
“Leadership Gardens don’t grow in the soil, like other
plants. Leadership seeds can grow in all o us, in our hearts,our minds, and our spirits.”
Hugh wrinkled his nose. “That sounds weird.”
Leda patted his shoulder. “Not really. Planting leader-
ship seeds can make your own Leadership Garden blossom
and grow. Are you searching or something Hugh?”
“I’m not sure,” he said. “I don’t know where I belong.Once, when I was a little lamb, I played in another eld
with the goats. The armer’s son called me stupid. He said
I didn’t belong in his eld. That hurt my eelings.”
“What did you do?” asked Leda.
“I ran home and asked my mother i I was stupid to
play with goats. She said I wasn’t stupid, and playing withother animals was ne. She told me all animals are unique
and have something special to oer.”
“It sounds as i you have a wise mother.”
Hugh lowered his head and whispered. “I did.”
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U.N.I.Q.U.E. KIDS—Growing My Leadership Garden
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“What do you mean, you did?”
Hugh blinked away a tear.“One day a pack o coyotes headed into our feld. I
knew my mother was in danger, but I was scared. I saw
them circle around her, but I ran away.”
“You didn’t go back?”
“I was sure my fock wouldn’t want a coward like me, so
I stayed away.” Hugh gave a piteous ba-a-h. “I’ve wanderedever since, eeling lost and alone.”
“Everyone eels rightened at times. It happens to all o
us. But what happened to your mother?”
“I don’t know.”
Leda stroked Hugh’s wooly head. “Then you don’t
really know i the coyotes attacked your mother, or whatthe fock thinks o you.”
“You mean my mother could still be alive?”
“It’s possible.” Leda planted more seeds. “It’s also pos-
sible that the fock might miss you.”
Hugh hung his head and pushed the dirt with his hoo.
“They won’t miss a coward like me.”
Leda wrinkled her brow. “You don’t know that is true.
It’s just something you’ve allowed yourself to think.”
Hugh looked surprised. “You really think so?”
“Hugh, I think you’re ready or a lesson in planting
your own Leadership Garden. Do you know what you
have in common with the seeds I am planting in my
garden?” she asked.