Great Leaders GROW

Recently I have just finished reading a great piece of book written by Ken Blanchard & Mark Miller, titled "Great Leaders GROW". This book talks about the story of a fictional character - a brilliant young man named Blake - and his journey en route to learning what it takes to become a great leader. Its core message is so profound that it triggered me into action, thus the birth of this blog.

Here is the core message:

To be a great leader, you must...

Gain knowledge

• Yourself - what are your strengths, what are your passions, what is your personality type, etc.
• Others - what are their hopes and dreams, what are their fears, their personality types, etc.
• Industry - what do you know about your industry, who are your chief competitors, what are their strengths/weaknesses, etc.
• Leadership - what are the trends, what skills can you acquire, what books do you need to read, etc.

Reach Out to Others

• Formally - teach in classroom, mentor others, etc.
• Informally - look for any "teachable" moments, such as sharing information, asking probing questions, tell a story, etc.

Open Your World

• At work - serve on cross-functional team, find a mentor from another department, lead anything you can, etc.
• Outside work - travel, volunteer work, hobbies, home projects, mentors from unrelated fields, etc.

Walk toward Wisdom

• Self-evaluation - what are you doing well, where are you struggling, what are you doing that's adding the least value, etc.
• Feedback - feedback is about the past, what you should start doing, keep doing, and stop doing.
• Counsel - counsel is about the future, learn from others' experience and wisdom.
• Time - don't rush it, never stop seeking it, wisdom is accummulated over months, years, and decades.

With this, I would also like to make a pledge to post at least one article per day. I sincerely invite all of you to join me in this journey of learning, and GROW to become great leaders in your own right.

Cheers to a greater tomorrow!