The book ironically begins with an unexpected

twist. An empowering statement to Blake from

his father Jeff Brown You can be a leader , and
the sudden death of his father in a heart- attack
. An allegory of the void people can create in our
lives. It is here that Debbie, his dads protg
steps in to help him get more focused. The book
thereby points out an important fact that, not
only do mentors provide protgs with important
career advice and emotional support, but they can
also open doors that can otherwise remain shut.
Debbie prods Blake to resort to a self-introspection
and asks him to honestly assess his strengths and
weaknesses. As a mentor, she is careful to give him
his freedom and not impose her thoughts on him.
It serves as a guide to young graduates entering
the job market to understand their true calling and
the attributes they should look for in their first job.
Aligning personal core values to the companys
values can kick start a great Career.
The crux, of the second chapter, progress on the
thought of Servant Leadership .Debbie incites
his enthusiasm for the leadership challenge , by
asking him to imbibe values true to servant leaders
like , humility, altruism, trust and service. Great
leaders dont think less of themselves , they just
think of themselves less-(p,20). Good leadership
is the choice people make in engaging in the right
behavior. The authors trace the manner in which
orgnaizations which invest in people, invest time
in getting the right people into the bus. The book
alerts young graduates to look for cues in the
environment and differentiate professional from
unprofessional ones and GROW as leaders. The
rest of the journey helps us to understand the
acronym GROW, more clearly.
According to Ken and Mark, the letter G in the
word GROW stands for Gain Knowledge. Anyone
who wants to grow as a leader should Gain
Knowledge about oneself, which is nothing but
self-awareness, strengths, passions and learning
styles, etc. Next one as a part of Gain knowledge
is knowing about others whom one leads. Their
ambitions, dreams, hopes, fears, their families
and past work experience. The more one knows
about others, the better one can serve the others.
Industry knowledge is another important element
to gain Knowledge where in one is expected to
understand industry trends of past, present and
estimate future. Leadership is the last component
of gaining knowledge covering aspects like best
leadership practices, skills, books to be read. The
fundamental premise of Gaining knowledge is
an awareness of self , others , industry and an
unquenchable desire to learn. The book therefore

highlights the importance of Leader Member

Exchange (LMX) that elevates knowledge sharing.

Book Review

Great Leaders Grow: Becoming a Leader for Life

Author:
Mr. Ken Blanchard & Mr. Mark Miller
Publisher:
Harper Collins Publishers India Ltd., New Delhi
ISBN:
978-1- 60994-788-0
Reviewers:
Dr. S.V. Ramana Rao, Dr. Agna Fernandez
JEL Classification Code:
Y3

SuGyaan
59
Volume-VII, Issue-I- Jan-June, 2015
Knowledge is the component of creativity and
innovation in organizations and empowers workers
to create and deliver value. Organizational leaders
should facilitate knowledge creation and sharing
processes to promote creativity and innovation
among workers and thats exactly what Blakes
mentor points out to him.
R stands for Reach Out to Others in the acronym
GROW. One who is aspiring to be a leader
should reach out to others formally and informally.
Reaching out others as per the authors are one
needs to be proactive about helping others grow, if
one is going to grow and learn. At the early stages
of career one of the best ways for growth is teach.
Teaching is one of the primary ways that leaders
learn. Debbie explains Black that three things are
important for learning. One is take notes of training
programs, meetings, discussions attending.
Second one is review of the notes taken and last
one is spread the message of learnings happened
during meetings and discussions to the important
people who missed the meetings and discussions.
The second letter R, has a very thought provoking
statement , Blake makes a powerful statement ,
Ive also begun to discover the stories of people
I work with. Debbie has a quick retort , which
is an eye opener,( p,53) The more you discover
them , the more youl be able to see the true
picture of who they really are .( p.55). In other
words individuals who feel , that they have been
supported by messages through organizations
have enhanced levels of normative and affective
commitment. Through this chapter reaching out ,
Debbie unravels the need for openness and trust
in organizations. The three dimensions underlying
trust , openness( being truthful), integrity ( honesty),
and consistency (reliability in handling situations),

are communicated as vital to ones growth in the

organization.
To continue to grow as a leader , youve got to
Open your world. A series of suggestions on
enhancing ones experience of the world is given
by Debbie to Blake. It ranges from listening in to
customer calls to finding a mentor from another
department. The authors creatively, suggest
ways by which new recruits can find space in
organizations to learn , without feeling awkward
and embarrassed. Open you world at work and
outside Work , makes for very intuitive reading and
makes the book irresistible and gripping. The third
letter in the acronym GROW is O stands for Open
your world- At work and Outside work. It means, an
individual who wants to grow as leader needs to be
on the lookout for experiences inside and outside
the work place. Ken and Mark explained the usage
of these experiences by using an analogy to be
considered. An artist before painting uses a palette
to place paints. Those paints are being used while
drawing a painting. Similarly a leaders life is like
palate where the experiences inside and outside
gained over a period of time can be used to grow
as a leader.
The hallmark of persuing wisdom as a leader is
to ask for honest feedback. Feedback about past
performance and counsel to guide future action
are other thoughts of Debbie to Blake. Honest
feedback and its performance orientations can
never be undermined is the subtle message
the authors try to engage with the reader. The
process of seeking feedback , the need to engage
honestly with the mentor and grow are highlighted
adequately in the book. The forth arena in which
leaders need to grow is Walk towards wisdom. W
is the last letter in the acronym GROW. Wisdom
can be outcome of gaining knowledge, reaching
out to others and opening your world. Growth in
wisdom has no formula, but it involves at least one
of four elements. They are rigorous self-evaluation,
honest feedback, counsel from others and time.
A Personal Assessment format has been given at
the end of all chapters covering the four aspects
like Gain Knowledge, Reach out to others, Open
your world and Walk toward Wisdom truly worth
using for self- assessment. There will be one
question that really matters for aspiring leaders
is Do you want to be a leader for life? If so to
what extent you wanted to GROW. Ken and Mark
simply answered in one sentence by saying YOUR
CAPACITY TO GROW DETERMINES YOUR
CAPACITY TO LEAD. Growing for great leaders
is like breathing. It is not an optional. It is not
something leaders do in addition to real job. It is at

the core of leaders job. Leaders the good onesare always learners. This book is a must read to
anyone wishes to become a le