"U.N.I.Q.U.E." - Growing the Leader Within - a Review

I just finished reading a wonderful book called U.N.I.Q.U.E. - Growing the Leader Within, by Debra Slover. Debra weaves a fabulous metaphor about leadership using the garden as her muse. There is also a children's version called U.N.I.Q.U.E. Kids - Growing My Leadership Garden which is fabulously illustrated by, Darlene Warner.

"U.N.I.Q.U.E. Kids" informs young readers how to turn negative thoughts positive while helping them develop self esteem in a way that children can understand and use in real life situations. This book is especially affective if read with a parent, a grandparent, a teacher or a mentor who wants to facilitate a leadership mentality in children.

"U.N.I.Q.U.E." - Growing the Leader Within, uses the children's fable as well as her own memoirs to take the adult through the leadership garden where the reader learns about integrity, purpose and aim, and some things that cannot be articulated as it is "Unique" to each reader what he or she takes from the book. This is more than a book, it is a reminder that we are all leaders in our own lives and it is a reminder that who we are alone, is who we are. Hopefully we practice integrity when alone as that is who we should strive to be always.

Often books, like people, come into your life when you need them most. Sometimes you aren't ready to hear the message, but other times you are primed, ready, and open. This time was like this. Like most moms with a family, work, and many responsibilities and "hats" to wear, it is easy to get bogged down in life due to all the demands. We start living in survival mode. Then we demonstrate that survival mode of living to our children. As the poem by Dorothy Law Nolte, Ph.D. says, "Children learn what they live".

After reading the books I started looking at how I am living my life and I have now refocused my purpose and aim as well as adjusted my attitude. I highly recommend reading the books, both versions if you're an adult, because they both have many lessons to learn regardless of the target age of the books.

I wouldn't call these "self- help" books. I really do not like that term. I prefer to call them enlightenment books because they really open up your mind. The interesting part is, most of the ideas and concepts in the books, you already know, you just forgot it along the way. I feel that these books are important to the future of leadership in our country, in the world. Somewhere along the way our entire society as gotten mixed up and confused about what constitutes real leadership.

I am not exaggerating, when I say that these books need to be in the hands of every educator, every mentor, every parent, and every person, now.