I recently read “Great Leaders Grow – Becoming A Leader For Life” by Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller.  A follow up to their popular book The Secret, Blanchard and Miller have again used story form to provide a great framework for growing as leaders in Great Leaders GROW.

The book has Debbie, the one mentored in The Secret, now mentoring the son of her mentor following his death.  Blake, just starting out in his professional life, is searching for a way to fit in as an employee and fill the role as a leader.

Debbie shares many of the insights that Blake’s father had shared with her years before.  The book evolves around the acronym GROW.

The model is comprised of four ways that leaders must challenge and stretch themselves, both on and off the job, to reach their greatest potential.

GAIN KNOWLEDGE

Blanchard and Miller describe four ways that we gain knowledge:

1. You need to start with yourself if you are going to lead effectively.
2. You need to gain knowledge about others if you are going to lead as a group or individually.
3. You need to gain knowledge about your industry.
4. You need to gain knowledge in the field of leadership.

In short, to be an influential leader, you need to be a life-long learner.

REACH OUT TO OTHERS

Blanchard and Miller suggest that “teaching is one of the primary ways that leaders learn.”  I think they have described this process well by stating “As a leader, your role is to teach by sharing information as well as asking probing questions.”

The point is that as leaders, we need to take the first step.  If there is a problem, show up with a solution.

OPEN YOUR WORLD

Blanchard and Miller add “Your capacity to GROW will determine your capacity to lead.  If you get too busy with your job to grow, your influence and your leadership will stagnate and ultimately evaporate.”

They go on to suggest that “you will add much more value as a leader if you open up and expand your world with leadership experiences and life experiences.”  They then add the reminder that “you need to be on the lookout for experiences inside and outside work that will make you a better leader over time.”

WALK TOWARD WISDOM

The closing statement to the four steps is clarified with this statement; “Wisdom is the application of knowledge, discernment, insight, experience, and judgement to make good decisions when the answer may not be obvious.”

They acknowledge that growth in wisdom has no formula, but almost always has at least one of four elements:

1. Self-evaluation is the ability to look in the mirror and tell yourself the truth.
2. Those pursuing wisdom need honest feedback.  Find someone you can trust to provide that honest feedback.
3. Be willing to seek counsel from others.  Great leaders know when they don’t know and are willing to find the answers.
4. Understand and accept that wisdom is accumulated over a lifetime.  Great leaders understand that there is always more to learn.

I think my favorite line from the book is “We got caught providing yesterday’s answers to today’s problems.”  How often do you feel like that is what’s going on around you? Great Leaders GROW is a great read for anyone interested in developing or improving their leadership skills.

Influential leaders need to be ahead of the game.  What are you doing today to GROW as a leader?

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Barry Smith    6/26/13   photo courtesy of Ken Blanchard Companies   © Building What Matters 2013