When we talk about leadership, there are people who seem great... but they aren't. And others that don't seem like it, but they are.

Recently, watching a bonsai tree, I thought about how many leaders live by pruning themselves. Small trees tucked into a pot too narrow for their roots, tamed by the desire to please, to adapt, not to bother too much, not to stand out too much... Not to grow too big.

Their environment celebrates them for being aesthetic, controlled, manageable. But they have forgotten something essential: They are not there to adorn, but to transform.

Instead, sequoias —those ancient giants of the forest— They don't ask for permission to grow. They don't need to look impressive: They are. They are not waiting for the eyes of others, but rather for the roots that connect them to the depths and to the sky that sets their course.

They are authentic. Resilient. Nourished by invisible nets underground, where other redwood trees support them. And above all, they are trees that have not given up their natural height for fear of making them uncomfortable.

What I Learned at Yosemite About Leadership

A few years ago, during a visit to Yosemite, a Ranger explained something to us that I have never forgotten: the tallest redwood trees in the world are not supported by the depth of their roots, but by their Width and Underground Connection with Other Redwoods. Its roots don't go down much, but they intertwine with those of neighboring trees, forming an invisible support network. “A sequoia alone doesn't survive,” he told us.

That phrase made me think about leadership: Great leaders don't stand up on their own, but thanks to the relationships they have cultivated over time. It's not height that makes them strong, but their ability to connect, hold... and let themselves be held.

The Seed and Fire Paradox

Another thing that fascinated me about redwood trees is their origin. Despite the fact that they can measure more than 90 meters in height, They are born from a seed the size of a pine scale. Fragile, tiny, easy to ignore. And yet, within it lies the possibility of a living cathedral.

But there's more.

Redwood trees need fire to germinate. Its seeds don't wake up without the action of heat and ash. Forest fires, which are devastating for other trees, activate a process of regeneration and rebirth. Its bark, in addition, is made to resist fire.

They don't break in the storm. They are not consumed by crises. They are reborn with them.

What would happen if we led like that?

If we saw difficulties not as threats, but as catalysts for transformation.

If instead of hiding from the fire of change, we would learn to go through it and use it to grow.

If we were to trust that inside each person—however small they seem—there is a seed capable of transforming the entire forest.

From bonsai to living forest

Many leaders have been educated to behave like bonsai: well-trimmed, predictable, restrained. They dare not show their true inner size for fear of appearing “too much” —too emotional, too ambitious, too human.

But the times we live in don't need bonsai.

They need redwood trees.

They need leaders who don't just manage, but who dare to truly grow. To lead from the depths of its authenticity, without masks. To put their talents at the service of something greater than them. And to create organizational cultures that not only perform, but also Humanize.

The leadership that flourishes from within

That's what we propose in UNUSUAL:

An executive re-education that doesn't cut branches to fit, but works from the roots to make you grow.

This is not about teaching techniques, but about igniting transformations. We don't want decorative leaders, but leaders with purpose. Leaders capable of elevating others, not from authority, but rather from authenticity. No masks, no aesthetic ornaments.

Leading is not about looking and wanting to please.

It's growing up.

And make your environment grow. How do sequoias make, and how do we do it in the UNUSUAL Club.

And you? Are you pruning... or are you growing?

If you're leading as a bonsai, you're probably exhausted from holding an image. But if you dare to lead like a redwood, you'll discover a different way to lead: freer, more human, more powerful.

This may be the time to stop worrying about keeping and pleasing...

To begin to inspire others so that, together, we can reach heaven.

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