Grounded: How Leaders Stay Rooted in an Uncertain World

Praise for Grounded "I have no hesitation in predicting that Rosen′s book will be one of the top, most important books on leadership for the 21st century." — Warren Bennis , Distinguished Professor in Business Administration and University Professor at the University of Southern California; author of Still Surprised: A Memoir of a Life in Leadership " Grounded argues that we all have the capacity for personal leadership. Bob Rosen provides insights for becoming the more alert, engaged, decisive, resilient, and inclusive leader organizations need." — Kay Koplovitz , founder of USA Network; entrepreneur; author of Bold Women, Big Ideas "Bob Rosen′s timely, well–written book goes to the heart of what it takes to lead in today′s complex world. Rosen′s message deserves to be widely read and followed to produce better leaders for the 21st century." — Bill George , Harvard Business School professor; bestselling author of True North "Today′s business climate is the epicenter of some pretty powerful ′winds of change.′ Read Rosen′s groundbreaking new book, Grounded ." — Marshall Goldsmith , author or editor of 34 books, including the New York Times bestsellers MOJO and What Got You Here Won′t Get You There "Great leadership is the most difficult and worthy challenge of our times. Bob Rosen, backed by a wealth of experience working with CEOs, knows that leadership is fundamentally personal—and that the ability to drive change begins inside. I recommend that every leader take his advice." — Jorgen Vig Knudstorp , CEO, the Lego Group " Grounded reminds us how important it is to balance every piece of our lives—personal, spiritual, family, work, exercise, and more—into one life, which becomes our life′s work. Thank you, Bob, for helping leaders to be their best!" — Alan Mulally , president and CEO, Ford Motor Company "Bob Rosen′s Grounded lays out a compelling, personal, and proven path for you to take responsibility for your own learning and development. This is a powerful book, relevant for leaders all around the world." — Silas S. S. Yang , Asia Pacific chairman and global network leadership team member, PricewaterhouseCoopers Confronted by disruptive change and worldwide economic turbulence, leaders at all levels—across all industries and sectors—find themselves ill–equipped to manage the challenges they now face. They must contend with chronic uncertainty, intense competition, personal burnout, and a new world order of global interconnectedness. Most leaders are poorly served by the prevailing paradigm that obsessively focuses on what we do to produce short–term results while sabotaging who we are as healthy human beings. Few have seen alternatives, until now. In Grounded, internationally renowned CEO advisor Bob Rosen proposes a new approach to leadership that speaks to our better selves and is designed for any leader who grapples with the unrelenting and complex demands of today′s marketplace. Rosen argues that leaders at every level can become more self–aware, develop their untapped potential, and drive significantly better results—for themselves, their teams, and their organizations. This groundbreaking approach is drawn from Rosen′s Healthy Leader model and highlights the six personal dimensions that fuel—and refuel—the world′s top leaders: physical, emotional, intellectual, social, vocational, and spiritual health. Grounded is based on long–term research with hundreds of CEOs and leaders from around the world, and includes illustrative stories from a variety of organizations, including the Fire Department of New York, PricewaterhouseCoopers, the Lego Group, Ralph Lauren, and Medstar Health. Now any leader can master the six dimensions needed to develop the stamina and strength to not only weather tough times but to achieve exceptional results.

PART I A CRISIS ON THE HORIZON 1 The Winds of Change 2 2 Are You Bending, Breaking, or Staying Rooted? 12 3 Who You Are Drives What You Do 24 PART II THE ROOTS OF HEALTHY LEADERSHIP Physical Health 38 4 Body–Mind Awareness 40 5 Energy Management 48 6 Peak–Performance Lifestyle 57 Emotional Health 65 7 Self–Awareness 67 8 Positive Emotions 76 9 Resilience 91 Intellectual Health 101 10 Deep Curiosity 103 11 Adaptive Mindset 114 12 Paradoxical Thinking 128 Social Health 138 13 Authenticity 140 14 Mutually Rewarding Relationships 151 15 Nourishing Teams and Communities 163 Vocational Health 176 16 Meaningful Calling 179 17 Personal Mastery 189 18 Drive to Succeed 200 Spiritual Health 215 19 Higher Purpose 217 20 Global Connectedness 225 21 Generosity of Spirit 235 22 On Becoming a Healthy Leader 248 PART III PUTTING LEADERSHIP INTO ACTION How Healthy Leaders Build Healthy Organizations 262 23 Tapping into a Higher Purpose 265 24 Forging a Shared Direction 272 25 Unleashing Human Potential 280 26 Fostering Productive Relationships 287 27 Seizing New Opportunities 294 28 Driving High Performance 301 Grounded: A Change in Consciousness 311 Notes 314 Acknowledgments 330 About the Author 332 Index 334 About Healthy Companies 348

Bob Rosen is a trusted CEO advisor, organizational psychologist, and bestselling author. As the founder and CEO of Healthy Companies International, he has long been on a mission to transform the world of business, one leader at a time. The recipient of a multiyear grant from the MacArthur Foundation, Bob continues to pursue his research into the nature of leadership. A frequent media commentator, he has been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, and the Financial Times. Bob's previous books include The Healthy Company, Leading People, Just Enough Anxiety, Global Literacies, and The Catalyst.

Advisor and organizational psychologist Rosen (CEO & founder, Healthy Companies Intl.; The Healthy Company: Eight Strategies To Develop People, Productivity, and Profits ) outlines a holistic approach to leadership based on his in–depth research of several international companies (e.g., Polo Ralph Lauren, Alcoa, PBS). The book′s main message is that a leader must cultivate a healthy internal balance of six aspects: physical, emotional, intellectual, social, vocational, and spiritual. Rosen identifies these qualities as the roots of leadership and suggests that the leader possessing them can more easily withstand chaos. The core of the text discusses methods for developing sound foundations. The healthier the leader is, the stronger the organization will be as a whole. The book′s final section expands on how developing these characteristics will influence a well–balanced person and contribute to a flourishing company. VERDICT Rosen draws from interviews and case studies to present a simple message to leaders: focus on improving yourself before you try to fix your company. While the conceit of the title is compelling, the concepts put forth may appear as unreachable ideals. This volume pulls together dissimilar leadership models and will appeal to business readers bored of training manuals. Recommended . —John Rodzvilla, Emerson Coll., Boston ( Library Journal , October 2013)