Smart Growth: How to Grow Your People to Grow Your Company

by Whitney Johnson Narrated by Whitney Johnson

Overview

Growth is the goal.



To help people develop their potential, to articulate and become the self that they want to be, are capable of being, and that best serves them and others in the short and long term is what we as individuals and leaders strive toward.



But how do we grow? It turns out it happens in a predictable way, which means we can understand where we are in our growth and chart a way forward. In this compact, complete guide, Whitney Johnson helps you envision how growth happens and proactively direct yourself, or others in your organization, to help make the leaps needed to achieve goals.



The growth and learning journey comes in three phases, the Launch Point, the Sweet Spot, and the High End, and within each phase, we play roles that keep us moving toward our goals. Compelling examples of successful people will show you when growth is slow and why, and how to keep going, and what to do when growth and learning are almost too fast to keep up with, and how to leap from one growth journey to another.



As individuals grow so do organizations and societies. Growth is learning put into action, ideally action that betters the world as we better ourselves and our small niches within it, both personal and professional. Growth occurs when learning is internalized, when we try something new and invest the effort to move it from being something we do, to something we are.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

01/10/2022

“The more you understand about your deep longing to grow... the greater your capacity to grow your people, to grow your company,” writes Johnson (Build an A-Team), CEO of the talent development company Disruption Advisors, in this cogent survey. Johnson uses the idea of an S curve to explore how best to grow and implement change, both as individuals and in a group. She follows the map through its three main parts and stresses that it’s most critical to get things right at the “explorer stage,” the first phase, where one’s goal is set. To that end, Johnson proposes prompts: readers should consider if their goal is achievable, easy to test, and worth the cost. The next phase is the “sweet spot,” where the learning really ramps up, and then there’s “mastery,” where it’s key to “say yes to new challenges or opportunities to find new rewards.” Johnson also offers an insightful look at how leaders can establish an environment that fosters growth in others: managers should not “operate in a bubble,” for example, but collaborate. Key takeaways round out each section, and Johnson is equal parts practical and inspiring. Leaders feeling stuck in a rut may likely find this to be the kick they need to shake things up. (Jan.)

From the Publisher

Named one of The Best Leadership Books of 2022 by LeadershipNow.com

Named one of the Top 20 Leadership Books of 2022 by The Next Big Idea Club

"Johnson's style is inspirational and aspirational…" — strategy + business

"Johnson is equal parts practical and inspiring." — Publishers Weekly

Advance Praise for Smart Growth:

"This book is tremendous. I couldn't stop reading. An elegantly simple framework and a seriously smart book." — Stephen M. R. Covey, bestselling author, The Speed of Trust

"This is a groundbreaking book in a class by itself. It hooked me with the first sentence, and it kept getting more intriguing. Smart Growth is required reading for anyone interested in growing a company in the most satisfying ways." — Bob Proctor, bestselling author, You Were Born Rich

"Simply genius. Brava!" — Nancy Duarte, CEO, Duarte, Inc.; bestselling author, slide:ology and Resonate

"It's rare that a book makes me slow down and immerse myself, but Smart Growth did just that. It had me thinking about my own growth. I can't recommend this book highly enough." — Tom Rath, New York Times bestselling author, How Full Is Your Bucket? and StrengthsFinder 2.0

"If I were a CEO, I'd want every one of my leaders to read this human, engaging, and realistic book about building high-performance, high-growth teams." — Rita McGrath, Professor, Columbia Business School; bestselling author, Seeing Around Corners

"Johnson offers actionable advice on how to love our lives and do our best work. I loved this book!" — Kim Scott, New York Times bestselling author, Radical Candor and Just Work

"Whitney Johnson has written a true masterpiece. Her model is instructive and straightforward. I love, love, love the case studies. Yes, it's a serious study, but it's also a true, genuine page-turner." — Tom Peters, bestselling coauthor, In Search of Excellence

Product Details

BN ID:	2940176476989
Publisher:	Ascent Audio
Publication date:	01/11/2022
Edition description:	Unabridged

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