Introduction

• Let Yourself Grow
• Just for the Fun of It
• And I Quote...
• Tell Me a Story
• Where's the Action?

CHAPTER ONE

Taking Control => The Way of the Leader
At home or in the workplace, change is an inevitable fact of life. How we choose to respond to it - as leaders or as followers - determines our personal and professional growth.

• Clear Alternatives => Change or Be Changed
• Growing at the Speed of Change
• Winning Ways => What is Leadership?
• Models of Being => Inside Out
• Blazing Our Own Personal Leadership Path
• Growing Points

CHAPTER TWO

The Core of My Being => Focus and Context
What is my vision? What are my values? What is the purpose of my life? These are the questions at the center of our lives.

• What We See is What We Get => Vision
• Yield of Dreams
• Seeing What We Believe => Values
• Our Inner Selves Revealed
• Telling on Ourselves
• What it's All About => Purpose
• What's Really Important
• Leading Others => Shaping Focus and Context
• Growing Points

CHAPTER THREE

If It's To Be, It's Up To Me => Responsibility for Choices
When things go wrong, it's easy to blame others. Leaders take charge by accepting the consequences of their actions.

• Deadly Diseases => From Groaning to Growing
• Against the Odds => Choose Not to Lose
• From Obstacles to Opportunities
• Points of View => Perceived Reality
• Choosing Our Outlook
• Choosing to Let Go of Deadly Emotions
• In the Black => Taking Account
• Measuring Our Ability to Influence Others
• Programming => You Think So
• Growing Points

CHAPTER FOUR

Getting Real => Authenticity
Genuine leadership comes from within. It demands honesty and integrity. It goes beyond reputation and personality; it is a function of character.

• Inside Jobs => The Real Me
• Me-Deep in Fooling Myself => Hypocrisy and Egotism
• To Boldly Grow => Exploring Inner Space
• Ringing True => Honesty and Integrity
• Mirror Images => The Eye of the Beholder
• Walking the Walk => Leading By Example
• Following the Leader in Me
• Growing Points

CHAPTER FIVE

Beyond "Near-Life Experiences" => Passion and Commitment
Successful people are energized by a love for what they do because it brings them closer to who they are.

• The Enemy Within => Uprooting Cynicism and Apathy
• Feeling Our Way => The Power of Passion
• More Than a Job => Labor of Love
• Fixed Purposes => Burning Commitment
• Sticking With It => Persistence Goes the Distance
• Habitual Success => Deep Discipline
• Discipline Can Be Habit Forming
• Growing Points

CHAPTER SIX

With All My Heart and Soul => Spirit and Meaning
What is the purpose of our work? Of our lives? Material success alone is not enough. Leaders seek within - and find something more.

• Just Existing => Dead Ends
• The Hungry Heart => In Search of Meaning
• Running the Race => True to Our Souls
• Extending Ourselves => The Many Faces of Love
• Starting With Ourselves
• Lead From the Center => Living Inside Out
• Doing it on Purpose => Take My Meaning
• Growing Points

CHAPTER SEVEN

From Phase of Life to Way of Life => Growing and Developing
What's our best defense against being victims of change? To grow and develop every day; to change ourselves - and to lead others in the process.

• Rotting Away => Slow Death
• Onward and Upward => Always on the Grow
• Lessons Learned => Successful Failures
• Coach's Corner => Lead to Succeed
• Growing Others
• Nurture Over Nature => Born to Lead?
• Learned Leadership
• Taking a Break => Reflection and Renewal
• Growing Points

CHAPTER EIGHT

Putting Emotions in Motion => Mobilizing and Energizing
Leaders don't motivate with rewards and punishments. Whether at home or in the workplace, they energize people to motivate themselves.

• Higher Purposes => The Motivation Myth
• Reading the Meter => Energy Sources
• Measuring Your Energy Levels
• EQ, Not IQ => Emotional Intelligence
• Great Expectations => Rays of Hope
• Let's Talk => Words Worth
• Just Rewards => Giving Thanks
• All Together Now => The Power of Participation
• Growing Points

Afterword

Taking Action => Grow for It
When is the best time to embark on our leadership development journey? How about today?

• Progress Check => Am I Growing the Distance?
• Where do I Want to Go?
• Where am I Now?
• What do I Need to Change or Improve to Close the Gap?
• That Which Does Not Kill Us => Personal Pathways
• No Excuses => Get Growing
• Let's Stay in Touch