LeaderGrove

When John Gronski graduated from the US Army’s elite Ranger School in 1990, he was 34 years old, and was the oldest student in his class to make it through the rigorous course. He still remembers a Ranger Non-Commissioned Officer offering this advice at the end of the course, “Now that you have earned that Ranger tab, you have to prove you deserve it every single day.” John has been trying to prove himself every day since and believes that self-discipline is the key to success. John believes one must look for opportunities to leave one’s comfort zone and seek challenges to develop resiliency.

One of the biggest challenges of John’s life was commanding 5,000 Soldiers and Marines in Ramadi, Iraq in 2005 and 2006, At that time Ramadi was known as the most dangerous place on earth. It was there that John saw exactly how important every member of the team was. When the wolf is at the door there is no room for arrogance and leaders must have the ability to communicate and instill “purpose” into the team.

John’s leadership philosophy is based on character, competence, and resilience. Even though John has over 40 years of leadership experience in trying conditions in both the military and civilian sectors, John is still on a journey to become an even stronger leader. John is highly respected for his operational leadership experience and is a leadership trainer popular with law enforcement and civilian executives alike due to his “muddy boots” style of getting out with those he leads and setting the example.

Major General John Gronski (USA, Ret.) served 40 years in the United States Army both on active duty and in the Pennsylvania National Guard. John has commanded infantry units at every level from a 140 Soldier company to a 15,000 Soldier division. John is a decorated combat Veteran. He has served overseas four times during his career to include tours in Iraq, Lithuania, and Germany.

He graduated from numerous Army schools to include the US Army War College, Infantry Officer Advanced Course, Ranger School, and Airborne School.

John’s awards and decorations include the Army Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, Bronze Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, and the Navy Unit Commendation (2nd award).

John has an MBA from Penn State Great Valley and a Master of Strategic Studies from the US Army War College. He is the founder and CEO of Leader Grove, LLC, a leadership consulting firm. John is an experienced leadership trainer, international speaker, and executive coach.

He is the recipient of the Frank J. O’Hara Award in the Government Service Category, the highest award bestowed jointly by the University of Scranton and the Alumni Society. He is a recipient of the Boy Scouts of America Silver Beaver Award and James E. West Award. The Pennsylvania Veterans of Foreign Wars presented the prestigious Eagle Award to John in recognition for his combat service and his leadership of the 28th Infantry Division. John was awarded the Washington Crossing Foundation Award by the Washington Crossing Foundation for service and dedication to the ideals of our Founding Fathers.

John is the author of two books. “Iron-Sharpened Leadership” is a leadership book grounded on John’s leadership philosophy and fraught with inspiring stories and lessons learned over John’s extensive career in the military and private sector. “The Ride of Our Lives” is a book about a transcontinental bicycle adventure John embarked on with his wife and 15-month-old son in 1983.

John and his wife Berti have been married for over 41 years. They have two sons. Stephen served in the United States Marine Corps and works with the reservation maintenance department at Ft. Indiantown Gap. Timothy served in the United States Army and had combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and is now a Pennsylvania State Trooper. They are also blessed with grandson Kevin and granddaughter Emma.