Lost_and_found I randomly picked up this book at a discount store at MG Road Bangalore with no expectations whatsoever. Subconsciously I was probably carried away by its slick design and small size. In the hindsight , it turned out to be the best book I have ever read on leadership. The way in which the whole stuff is written in the form of a fictional short story leaves the reader to stretch his imagination and cull different aspects from the book. Its a book about Larry,  a highly competent, technically capable person who is given an assignment which requires him to act as a leader. Even though he is best as an individual , he clearly starts missing the deadlines of the project and finds himself in a situation where the entire project would be a failure. Through a fortunate holiday that he takes amidst the chaos, he realizes that leadership is all about three important aspects :

  1. Know - Do I have a clear picture of the future I am striving to create, and importantly, does my team share the same view ?
  2. Grow - Are my team members more valuable to each other, to the company, and to themselves today than they were a year ago ?
  3. Own - Do the people on my team perform like hired hands or as if they are partners in business with me ?

The book neatly brings out the above three points in the form of various incidents in Larry’s vacation. I guess the above 3 points of Know-Grow-Own is the best way to summarize the skills of an effective leader.