{"product_id":"9781101544549","title":"You Can Get There from Here: My Journey from Struggle to Success","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"Not just another business autobiography, this is a fascinating and  uplifting look into one man's leadership journey through poverty,  hardship, racism, and betrayal to becoming one of the most inspirational  business leaders of our time.\" \u003cbr\u003e-Jane Marvin, former SVP human resources, Ross Stores, Inc. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003eBob Knowling is respected by many of America's most admired  executives, from Jack Welch to Michael Bloomberg. He has led large  organizations through periods of dramatic transformation; management guru  Noel Tichy calls him \"a change agent's change agent.\" But even more  impressive than Knowling's résumé is the road he took to the top.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHe grew up as one of thirteen children in Indiana, shuttling between  the homes of his divorced parents, surrounded by crime, poverty, drug  abuse, and racism. Later he lived and worked on his grandparents' farm in  Missouri. No one encouraged him to have big ambitions or even bothered to  ask, \"What do you want to be when you grow up?\" But Knowling used his  athletic and academic talents to earn a college scholarship and later an  MBA. He became an expert at leading change-helping others see a better  future, then work hard to make it real.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKnowling's story proves that almost any disadvantage can be overcome  with persistence and a passion for excellence. And it teaches us how to  embrace change rather than cling to the past.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt is easy to lose sight of our potential in a time of economic  turmoil, joblessness, and confusion. Knowling reminds us that none of  those conditions is permanent and, more important, that none of them  excuses us from making a concerted effort at whatever we try to do. As he  puts it, \"You turn around organizations, in most cases, by turning around  individuals. . . . The real lesson of transformation is that it happens  not in companies and not in offices, but in lives.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKnowling believes that we do not define ourselves by our upbringing or  the external conditions of our lives. It's our response to those  conditions that counts. It's not where you came from; it's what you do  with your potential. You'll be amazed to learn where Knowling came from  and how he got from a really distant \"there\" to a very inspiring \"here.\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Penguin Publishing Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47133322674416,"sku":"9781101544549","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781101544549_p0.jpg?v=1763687677","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781101544549","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}