Grass Roots Leaders: The Brainsmart Revolution in Business [Hardcover]

Is your life a mess? Are you stuck in a rut? Do you find it difficult to believe in success? Is "positive thinking" a new concept for you? If so, then this book could provide just enough of a charge to jumpstart you into change. It could also lead you to reflect on your job, workplace, and methods - if you've never done that before - and a bit of perspective is always a good thing.

However, if you are a little more discriminating, then I advise you to steer clear. All in all, this is basically a sales pitch for the authors' product: their formulas (debatably original - but unquestionably trademarked), their other books and - if you happen to be a big company executive with money to burn - their lectures, courses and workshops. As all promotional literature, it does not really encourage readers to think; questions are posed only to be promptly answered, and reality tends to be black and white. The book relies heavily on catchy phrases, techno-talk, pseudo-science and glowing testimonials, while scrupulously avoiding any mention of possible doubts and criticisms - not to mention other methods, which, in this ambience, are viewed as competing products, not possible alternatives for intelectual exploration (for instance, you might be left with the impression that the field of graphic organizers begins and ends with Mind Maps...).

And if you're thinking of buying it because you're interested in "leading edge brain research" then I can tell you very firmly right now - DON'T. There is about as much "brain research" in this book as there is "fragrance of spring" in air freshener. No surprise, really, seeing as the science part is courtesy of mr Tony Buzan, the (arduously) self-promoted pseudo-expert on the brain. Now the sum total of what Buzan knows about brain science would fit into a very slim brochure indeed, judging by this and his other books (and much of it is rather dated, too - think 60-ties and 70-ties). What you really get, therefore, is very basic psychology with a lingering New Age flavor (our unlimited potential, positive thinking, affirmations and even a very, very delicate reference to synchronicity). This material is sanitized and "mainstreamized" by scientific jargon (it's never "the mind", for instance, but always "the brain") and a few naive (and sometimes quite misleading) inferences drawn
from basic neurological facts.

To be fair, there are some good, common-sense observations here, and a few pieces of useful advice. But all of these you can find elsewhere - and they are likely to be presented more clearly, honestly, comprehensively, and without self-congratulatory fanfare. Heck, some might even come free! Have you ever heard that "a smile is better than a frown"? Or that "a picture is worth a thousand words"? Well, these seem to be among these authors' "ground-breaking" discoveries - while the "revolutionary success formula", TEFCAS, is little more than a variation on the old theme "if at first you don't suceed, try, try, try again", with the added suggestion that before "trying again" it is useful to reflect on your mistakes and make necessary adjustments (Thank God for Tony Buzan! We would never have thought of THAT on our own....).

My conclusion? If you want to do your brain a real favor..... try some deep breathing exercises instead!

W. Edwards Deming once said, "It is not enough to do your best; you must know what to do, and then do your best."
So how does one determine what she/he must know before doing one's best? There are a number of techniques, methodologies, certification programs in the market place today. All have value. Unfortunately, by design, they are exclusive requiring "experts" to be added who are not part of the existing process. These approaches assume that the majority of people implementing the process are not the experts, at least not until they join with an exclusive team or department. "Grass Roots Leaders, the brainsmart revolution in business" is an inclusive, practical, systematic approach that empowers the true experts on the front lines and their immediate managers to connect with senior management. It sparks a cultural shift that is both innovative and revolutionary.

This book is a terrific follow-up to "The Brainsmart Leader" providing practical examples of actual transformations that have occurred since the book was first released. It provides further illumination, clarification and practical examples in how anyone in an organization can become an agent and leader in innovation where she/he is now.

It is one of those books that will require you to read, absorb, reflect, experiment more than once. Because the components are broken down to a simplified level, you will find that the meaning of some the concepts will wash over you and you will need to go back again and again.

If you have never been exposed to mind mapping, chapter four is essential for you. Read it and then run, don't walk to getting more exposure and practice using this technique. For me, mind mapping was as revolutionary as when I was first introduced to spreadsheets and word processing 25 years ago. It changes and streamlines the way one views gathering and presenting information in condensed meaningful components.

Chapters three, six, seven and ten for me in particular are resources I keep at the ready for explanation and clarification. It is amazing to me that so much is packaged for only 25 U.S. dollars.

Finally, if you have a chance to participate in one of Tony Dottino's three day workshops, do it. If you are like me, you will find it frustrating, exasperating, illuminating, liberating and yes revolutionary. It does bring a systematic approach to understanding the drivers of process design, improvement and a proven method for joining management to the experts on the front line. Join the revolution and become a grass roots leader for your business, peers, customers and yourself.

Grass Roots Leaders (GRL) is based on the premise that the people closest to the day-to-day work in your company are in the best position to both identify opportunities for improvement; and then implement change with the support of their managers. It is not the typical top-down, flavor of the month mandate for business process improvement that is rolled out by many large consulting firms.

Chapter 4, Creativity at the Grass Roots, provides an excellent explanation on how mindmapping is used to help individuals tap their visual thinking power for making powerful and logical presentations.

This book provides practical guidance for starting a grass roots revolution at any organization. As a client of the authors, I have personally witnessed the successful application of these leadership principles on hundreds of projects. A number of these case studies are included in the text. GRL is the only self-sustaining program on the market that uses basic left/right brain principles (see Chapter 6) to help people solve and roll-out solutions to business problems. In one case, the authors' approach helped an individual to completely turn around his life (See pages 118 to 119, Profile: What Happened to Charlie).