From war rooms to gardens: what your leadership metaphors say about you
Dr Rhiannon Lloyd
University of Auckland Business School
Are you a gardener with muddy shoes lost on the dance floor? A conductor watching from the balcony as your waka lists in heavy seas? Or a general convinced the battle’s already won?
Leadership language is full of metaphors. We reach for them instinctively to make sense of complexity — to bring the abstract to life. In leadership development, metaphor helps surface and discuss the often-intangible challenges of leading others. Yet these figures of speech do more than colour our conversations. They shape how we see, what we notice, and what we believe is possible.
As Mayer-Schönberger and Oberlechner (2002) remind us, “metaphors often build a bridge from the known to the unknown, from the familiar to the unfamiliar. They help us understand and interact with phenomena which otherwise would be too abstract and too complex.” In this way, metaphors become the invisible architecture of leadership thinking.
Why metaphors matter for leaders today
Metaphors do important cognitive work. They enable communication, sensemaking, and alignment. In complex environments, a well-chosen metaphor acts as a shorthand or guidepost, helping people cohere around a shared understanding. Using metaphor can also have the added effect of pulling people out of the technical day-to-day mess and detail, and into the bigger and broader conversations.
As a leadership development facilitator, I often use the dance floor and balcony metaphor — originally introduced by Ronald Heifetz in his work on adaptive leadership. On the dance floor, leaders are in the noise and movement of daily action; on the balcony, they gain a wider view of the system. There is, of course, no literal balcony but there are practices that allow leaders to move between these states: pausing, reflecting, and zooming out to see the bigger picture.
Metaphors also carry tacit values and assumptions. A leader who speaks of a “war on inefficiency” or “bulldozing obstacles” draws on a worldview that evokes conquest and control. Another who talks of “gardening” or “nurturing ecosystems” signals patience, care, and interdependence. Each metaphor frames reality — highlighting some elements, obscuring others.
And when we shift the metaphor, we shift the frame.
Dr Rhiannon Lloyd
Metaphor as a tool for reframing
Reframing is one of the most powerful leadership skills. It allows us to loosen rigid assumptions and rediscover options where before there seemed to be none. By consciously changing our metaphors — for example, from machine to ecosystem, or from hierarchy to network — we open space for new thinking, emotion, and agency.
Reframing changes not just what we see but how we feel. A “storm” evokes fear; a “season” evokes patience. Through reframing, leaders cultivate adaptability and imagination — both essential in navigating uncertainty and complexity.
Metaphor as a leadership capability
Leadership scholars have long shown that successful leaders don’t just use metaphors — they manage them. Every organisational transformation, from culture change to digital disruption, carries its own set of metaphors. Being able to surface, test, and intentionally choose metaphors becomes a core capability for shaping culture and strategy.
In other words, language leads. The metaphors used in leadership influence how others interpret reality, what actions feel possible, and what emotions are attached to the work ahead. Becoming fluent in metaphor is therefore not a creative indulgence but a strategic necessity.
Metaphors that shape leadership practice
Every metaphor opens a door and closes others. The leadership task is to notice which doors you’ve been walking through, and which you might open next. Consider the following:
- In terms of strategy, would you describe your organisation as a “ship,” a “start-up garage,” or an “ecosystem”? Each metaphor invites different forms of strategy and behaviour.
- How about change? Is your transformation a “journey,” a “revolution,” or a “renovation”? The metaphor will influence people’s appetite for risk, pace of change, and tolerance for ambiguity.
- Is your culture “family-like,” “competitive,” or “craft-based”? Each signals distinct values about belonging, collaboration, and performance.
- Finally, what about innovation? Are you running a “sandbox,” a “laboratory,” or a “production line”? Metaphors of play and experimentation evoke curiosity, while production metaphors prioritise discipline and efficiency.
Context matters: Metaphors in Aotearoa
In Aotearoa New Zealand, leadership metaphors often carry deep cultural meaning. The waka, for example, is more than a vessel — it’s a reminder of interdependence, wayfinding, navigation, and shared purpose. The metaphor invites us to consider who is paddling, who is steering, and how we move together toward a collective horizon.
By attending to context and culture, we can ensure that our metaphors resonate authentically with those they serve. A metaphor that motivates one group may alienate another, but sensitivity to place, language, and identity makes leadership language more inclusive and grounded.
The Metaphor Audit: A reflective practice
To turn insight into action, try this short exercise — on your own or with your team.
- Surface:
What metaphors do we (and our teams) use to describe our work, people, or organisation? Listen for them in meetings, strategy papers, and everyday talk. - Sense-check:
What values and assumptions do these metaphors carry? What do they emphasise or obscure? What emotions do they evoke? - Shift:
Which alternative metaphors might serve us better in this context? What new behaviours or perspectives might that open up?
This simple audit can reveal the unseen language shaping your leadership. It’s a fast way to see where your metaphors are helping and where they might be holding you back.
Ultimately, the metaphors we use shape the stories we tell — about our organisations, our people, and ourselves. When we change the metaphor, we change the story. The work may remain the same, but our relationship to it transforms.
So, in the coming week, take one leadership challenge and describe it using a different metaphor. See what shifts — in your thinking, your energy, and your conversations.
Because sometimes, seeing differently is the first step to leading differently.
Resources
Mayer-Schönberger V and Oberlechner T (2002) Through Their Own Words: Towards a New Understanding of Leadership Through Metaphors. doi: https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/55917
Heifetz R and Linksy M (2017) Leadership on the line. Boston: Harvard Business Press
