Tea With Starrlee Vol 10: What Sunflowers Teach Us About Leadership - 10 Lessons on Growth, Grit, and Grace 🌻

As an Indigenous woman in leadership, I often look to the land for wisdom. Nature has always been our first teacher, offering lessons in resilience, balance, and connection. Visited one of my favorite teachers this weekend. The sunflower.

At first glance, it’s just a bright, happy bloom reaching for the sky. But when you look closer, you realize a sunflower carries deep lessons about leadership—especially for those of us navigating spaces where representation is rare, expectations are heavy, and the ground beneath us sometimes feels unsteady.

Here are 10 ways sunflowers mirror the kind of leadership the world needs today—and what they’ve taught me about growth and grit:

1. Always Seek the Light. Sunflowers follow the sun across the sky. That’s called heliotropism. In leadership, that means choosing optimism when cynicism is easy, finding solutions instead of settling for problems, and looking for the good—even when clouds roll in. Be the person who chases light and shares it.

2. Stand Tall, but Stay Humble. Sunflowers rise high above the field, but they never forget the soil that feeds them. As leaders, stand with confidence and clarity, but never lose the humility that keeps you grounded. For women and Indigenous leaders, that often means remembering the community that raised us, the teachings that guide us, and the responsibility we carry.

3. Stay Rooted in Your Values. A sunflower’s strength depends on deep roots. Our values are those roots. In a world that often pulls us in a hundred directions, staying anchored to who we are—and what we stand for—is what helps us weather the storms.

4. Thrive in Community. Sunflowers bloom in clusters, not isolation. Leadership isn’t a solo journey. We rise higher when we lift others with us. For Indigenous women, this isn’t just a leadership style—it’s a cultural teaching. We lead for the collective good, not personal glory.

5. Adapt to the Seasons. Sunflowers don’t bloom all year—they respect the rhythms of nature. Leadership is the same. There are seasons of planting, growing, and harvesting. There are times to lead boldly and times to pause, listen, and regroup. Grit isn’t about pushing nonstop—it’s about knowing when to move and when to rest.

6. Provide Nourishment. A sunflower isn’t just beautiful—it gives back, feeding bees and creating seeds for future growth. Leaders should do the same: nourish those around you with guidance, opportunity, and encouragement.

7. Weather the Storms. Wind? Rain? The sunflower bends but doesn’t break. Leadership comes with storms—criticism, obstacles, setbacks. Resilience is bending without losing your roots. That’s grit in its purest form.

8. Share the Spotlight. Sunflowers don’t compete for the sun—they share it. Leaders who hoard credit create scarcity. Leaders who shine with others create abundance. When one of us blooms, it opens the door for others to bloom too.

9. Plant Seeds for Tomorrow. When a sunflower’s season ends, it leaves seeds that will grow long after it’s gone. Leadership isn’t about what you achieve in your time—it’s about who thrives because of your influence. True leadership is legacy.

10. Brighten the World Around You. Finally, sunflowers are joy. They bring color, warmth, and hope to any space they inhabit. Great leaders do the same—through kindness, presence, and purpose.

🌻 Leadership, like a sunflower, is about turning toward the light, staying rooted in your truth, and helping others bloom—even when the winds blow hard. For Indigenous women—and all people who lead in spaces where leadership looks different than what the world expects—these lessons feel especially true. We know what it means to fight for our place in the sun. But we also know that when we bloom, we bring an entire field with us.

What lesson from nature has shaped your leadership journey?

#Leadership #Growth #Grit #Leadership #Inspiration #TeaWithStarrlee