What deadheading flowers taught me about leadership

Practices for letting go and listening for what wants to emerge, from Spring Coaching Lead Márcia Kodama

Last July, I did something I'd never done before as a lifelong city person: I spent a week deadheading, pruning dead flowers to prepare plants for regeneration and new growth. 

At first, it felt counterintuitive. Wasn't I supposed to be helping things grow, not cutting them away? But as I worked, I began to see it differently. Each snip made room for something new. The plant could redirect its energy toward what wanted to emerge next.

It became a metaphor I couldn't shake: What if we approached our work and lives the same way?

Here's the thing: this year has been intense. Maybe you've felt it too, the pressure of navigating uncertainty, the weight of holding so much, the sense that what used to work isn't quite landing anymore. In times like these, it's so tempting to grip tighter, to lean harder on familiar strategies and solutions.

But what if those very patterns are the ones keeping us from imagining and creating the new futures that are calling to us? What if we were to let go of habitual ways and assumptions, not because they were wrong, but because their time may have passed?

Letting go is completely natural. It's part of the adaptive cycle that all life on Earth moves through: the four stages we see in our bodies, our cells, the seasons, different bio regions, and yes, in our leadership too. With emergence and growth also comes letting go and regeneration.

And still, letting go is hard. It requires us to honor what's moving through us, whether that's heavy burdens, grief, or the discomfort of not-knowing the path forward. And the pace and busyness of our lives often keeps us from creating that space.

As we wrap up this year, you may find yourself with a little more breathing room. So I’m offering you this invitation:

If it feels supportive, I’d like to offer a few simple practices you can return to over the coming weeks.

A practice of letting go: A deadheading ritual

Set aside a few quiet minutes.

1. Reflect on what feels heavy, outdated, or no longer serving you in how you work or lead. What are you ready to release?
2. Write it down on a piece of paper.
3. Take a breath and feel into this thing, recognizing that it has, in some way, supported or protected you in the past.
4. Express gratitude for what it has taught you or made possible.
5. Let it go physically: tear the paper, crumple it, fold it away, or safely burn it as a symbolic gesture.
6. Pause. Notice how you feel. Pay attention to sensations in your body.
7. Take a few breaths, allowing whatever emotion arises to be present without judgment.
8. Consider this: What is one small, doable first step toward releasing what no longer serves you?

Expanding the field: Listening for what wants to emerge

I invite you to listen to this 6-minute Field of Possibilities meditation (audio recorded by me during a recent virtual gathering) to let yourself imagine what might be waiting on the other side of what you're releasing. Afterward, spend a few minutes journaling or sharing what surfaced with someone you trust.

A supportive space for what comes next

If you’re longing for a supportive space in 2026 to explore what wants to emerge in your leadership, I’d love to invite you into our next Leadership Kitchen Series, starting in February and then again in July.

This six-month program is a global learning community for changemakers looking to strengthen their core leadership capacities — including emotional resilience, decision-making, culture-shaping, and adaptive leadership — while staying connected to their well-being.

Participants leave with greater clarity, practical tools for navigating complexity, and a more authentic leadership “recipe” for this moment.