On a recent Behind the Brand visit to the Eden Project, Cornwall, as part of our Wavelength Connect 2025 programme one of the themes of the experience was around Leadership Sustainability.

We were hosted by the amazing leadership team including Sir Tim Smit (Co-founder), Andy Jasper (CEO), Peter Stewart (Chief Purpose Officer), Dr Jo Elworthy (Chief Science Engagement Officer), Sarah Peake (Head of Content Curation), Simon Townsend (General Manager), Nicola Casperson (CMO), and Dan James (Development Director) all of whom, shared their story so generously. We were made to feel so welcome – it felt like we were part of the team providing a real sense of the magic that exists at the Eden Project – now a global concern that reaches far beyond Cornwall.

The day and evening event were more than a tour—it was a masterclass in values-led leadership with the opportunity to reflect on how our own leadership must hold up to volatility, uncertainty and economic challenge, and how we must continue to hold space for people. Because in the end, when we consider our differences, we are, fundamentally, human beings. What the Eden Project represents is the ‘ecosystem’ and it provides a valuable metaphor for the incredible gift that is the balance of ‘muscular localisation’ vs our interconnectedness, globally.

We share some of the lessons we reflected on from our visit.

1. With a clear purpose you can achieve the unthinkable

When you have a philanthropic mission, the odds can sometimes feel against you. When Tim Smit first packed his bags and set off on his mission to fund his dream of a global garden, that would demonstrate the importance of our environmental custodianship he experienced knock-back after knock-back. Looking across the stunning landscape and the towering biodomes, at what has been achieved in this hollowed out valley, a remnant from the depleted China Clay industry, it’s hard to believe. In this, Eden embodies an ambitious yet grounded vision: to inspire people to care for each other and the planet. And when leaders are faced with the challenges of the here and now, purpose will be your lifeline – if its relevant and important, it will provide the fuel to the engine. And when times are tough, purpose can be your antidote to leadership exhaustion and burnout. It acts as a protective force, giving people a ‘why’ even when the ‘how’ is difficult. At Eden, it’s in every role, every story, every plant.

2. Ambition vs Focus

Where ambition is huge, small achievements on the way can provide hope, affirmation and energy for the journey. Many organisations like Eden will be faced with the desire to share knowledge and expertise in the pursuit of having greater impact. The temptation, with such ambition is to do too much, too fast. Leaders must maintain the discipline of saying no. Many learned with the pandemic that there is wisdom is resisting distraction. There are times when it is necessary to focus on the core and understanding what aligns to the DNA of an organisation. Strategic focus isn’t about being small or not achieving your potential, it’s about being intentional and building this into the decision-making frameworks.

3. Succession Planning and building the leadership pipeline

Whether you’re a FTSE100 or a startup company, organisations at both ends of the spectrum will experience the pain of succession planning. Whether its entrepreneurs looking for opportunities to pass on their legacy or CEOs building bench strength of aspiring Executives. When we hear of multi-generational workforces, the challenge is around the balancing of transferring institutional wisdom to nurturing new talent and perspectives and making room for inevitable adaptation and adjustment. The answer lies in continuous renewal without losing the soul of the organisation.

4. Regeneration starts with people – building leadership sustainability

People matter and May is the month where we are reminded of the importance of mental health and supporting our people so that they can be the best. Creating the foundations for a thriving work environment is the same as building a learning culture. We cannot do this, through a series of interventions. Does an Olympic athlete take part in training interventions? No. They follow a carefully curated and developed programme which requires consistency and discipline. It is the same with developing a healthy and thriving workforce. It requires a holistic approach that is woven through the fabric of an organisation. Tim Smit used the phrase ‘weft and weave’. The interlacing of these threads determines the fabric’s appearance and texture. And we must not forget, since we are in the heart of the global garden, Eden is designed to be an experience – designed to nurture the senses and slow people down. Leadership includes designing the environments, (physical and emotional) where people can pause, reflect, and reconnect with what matters. So don’t forget, wellbeing is not just about EAPs or time off – it’s about the everyday experience. Our environments profoundly affect how people feel and function.

5. More control, less control

Leadership boils down to three main aspects of crafting the vision, leading the people and accomplishing the activities needed to get there. Leaders must align structures and systems to support the people needed to do this. They must also expand their scope to take care of the current state and the future state. Yet this presents the paradox of trying to wrestle control within a business landscape and leadership mindset that advocates and manifests a feeling of less control.  Eden provides a powerful metaphor for this. The garden itself. Leadership here, is not command-and-control, its ‘cultivate and co-create’. It’s about soil, light and shade, cycles and seasons. It tells us to grow what matters, tend it well and don’t be afraid to prune.

6. Honest Conversations

A strong leadership team needs to be prepared for honest and yes, respectful, communication. This requires psychological safety to be embedded in the leadership culture. It means, spending time together, it means sharing hopes, struggles and uncertainties. Taking the time to build this will ensure people feel safe to speak, challenge, question and be vulnerable. This also becomes a precondition for mental health, innovation and resilience.

7. Muscular Localisation vs Global Connectedness

In a world where we are experiencing increasing division and disruption, one of the most thought-provoking ideas we explored with the Eden Project team was the concept of muscular localisation. It’s more than a catchphrase—it’s a strategic stance that says: start deep, build local, become sustainable and make it relevant globally. In a world saturated with complexity and global volatility, there is something profoundly reassuring—and effective—about building strength within your direct sphere of influence. Eden’s geothermal heating system means that the site can be wholly self-sufficient, reducing reliance on traditional resources. The lesson is not one of silo-ism. It is about developing strength and resource and then sharing that knowledge and expertise for the greater benefit of the whole – in a very reciprocal and meaningful way that promotes mutual learning and cohesion. And in times of uncertainty, this balance- between rootedness and reach, may be one of the most sustainable forms of leadership we can practice.

So, thank you to the Eden leadership team for an incredibly inspiring and thought provoking experience. It was an important and timely reminder, that there are lessons in thinking of leadership as a garden. And as we learnt from the story of Eden, the first thing the team had to do was make the soil. Because without that, nothing can grow. And the best leaders are gardeners of culture, of vision and of people.