Great Leaders Grow: Becoming a Leader for Life

Successful leaders don’t rest on their laurels. Leadership must be a living process, not a title on a business card, and life means growth. As Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller write in the introduction, “the path to increased influence, impact, and leadership effectiveness is paved with personal growth.… Our capacity to grow determines our capacity to lead. It’s really that simple.” Great Leaders Grow shows leaders and aspiring leaders precisely which areas to focus on so they can remain effective throughout their lives.

As the book opens, Debbie Brewster, an accomplished leader herself, becomes a mentor to Blake, her late mentor’s son, as he begins his career. Debbie tells Blake, “How well you and I serve will be determined by the decision to grow or not. Will you be a leader who is always ready to face the next challenge? Or will you be a leader who tries to apply yesterday’s solutions to today’s problems? The latter will ultimately fail. The difference: the decision to grow. And not a short-term decision but a decision to grow throughout your career and throughout your life. This single decision is a game changer for leaders.”

Over the next several weeks Debbie reveals what this means in practical terms. She and Blake explore four ways that leaders must continue to grow, both on the job and off, because who you are as a leader is inextricably connected to who you are as a person. Whether you’re a CEO or an entry-level employee, you’ll be inspired to reflect on your own life and to design your own unique long-term growth plan, leading to not only continuing professional success but personal fulfillment as well.

The Secret introduced people around the world to a profound yet seemingly contradictory concept: to lead is to serve. With that as the foundation, Great Leaders Grow takes the next step, showing leaders and aspiring leaders how to keep growing their leadership abilities throughout their lives.

The Secret’s protagonist, Debbie Brewster, now an accomplished leader herself, becomes a mentor to Blake, her former mentor’s son. Debbie tells Blake “the best leaders grow.” “How well you and I serve will be determined by the decision to grow or not. Will you be a leader who is always ready to face the next challenge? Or will you be a leader who tries to apply yesterday’s solutions to today’s problems? The latter will ultimately fail. The difference: the decision to grow. And not a short-term decision, but a decision to grow throughout your career and throughout your life. This single decision is a game changer for leaders.”

As the story unfolds, Debbie teaches Blake (and the reader) four ways to keep growing one’s leadership abilities: Gain Knowledge (of self, others, one’s industry, and the field of leadership); Reach Out to Others, both formally and informally; Open Your World, at work and outside of work; and Walk toward Wisdom (through self-evaluation, feedback, counsel and over time). The result is an inspiring guide to how anyone, no matter how experienced or inexperienced as a leader, can become a better, more effective leader in any type of organization or community.

Ken Blanchard is a prominent, sought-after author, speaker, business consultant, and bestselling author. Blanchard is one of the most influential leadership experts in the world and is respected for his years of groundbreaking work in the fields of leadership and management. He is the cofounder and currently the Chief Spiritual Officer of the Ken Blanchard Companies, an international management training and consulting company based in San Diego, CA. Author Residence: Escondido, CA.

Mark Miller began his Chick-fil-A career working as an hourly team member at the company’s Southlake Mall location in 1977. Working his way up to several different leadership positions, Mark has served in Corporate Communications, Field Operations, and Quality & Customer Satisfaction. Today, he is the Vice President, Training & Development. He is also a member of the Operations Council, and the Strategic Planning Team for Chick-fil-A, Inc.