Product Description

A bestselling business author explains the need for a guiding vision for the future, emphasizing that everyone is capable of creating and implementing one

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #343224 in Books
• Published on: 2003-03
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 144 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Blanchard, co-author of the bestselling One Minute Manager series, and consultant Stoner use a parable to convey the importance of vision to a company's success. Ellie has just returned to her job at an insurance company after an unpleasant divorce. She's startled by the e-mail messages the company's new president, Jim, sends to all employees. They're honest, upbeat and filled with personal anecdotes. One morning, Ellie gets to the office early and joins the only other person there-Jim-for coffee. Their first conversation is the start of a long and productive friendship. Jim encourages Ellie to think about herself and her career, while she helps him create a vision and plan for changes at the company. This story takes up the bulk of the book, as Blanchard and Stoner incorporate Jim and Ellie's discussions of vision (which includes recognizing your purpose and values and having a firm picture of the future) into the parable. Although the book rarely breaks from Jim and Ellie to offer general counsel, the authors' simple, straightforward writing style makes their advice obvious.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"Great things come from a powerful vision--fortunes are made, diseases get cured, and democracies are born. Blanchard and Stoner not only teach readers how to develop a potent vision ... but also the equally important lesson of how to bring it alive.

Book Info
Inspirational story of two people who were able to create a vision for the place they worked and for their own lives. Together they discover the three elements of a compelling vision: significant purpose, clear values, and a picture of the future. They discover how to ensure that the vision comes alive through understanding how it is created, communicated, and lived.

Customer Reviews

Timeless truths, practical applications!
Blanchard and Stoner have done a remarkable job in taking a complex subject like vision and making it easily understood and offering practical advice on how to create a vision that engages the hearts and spirits of everyone on the team. They also demonstrate the power of vision - that it provides direction and clarity, enhances working relationships, and helps a team achieve outstanding results. I would recommend everyone on a team reading this book together and then having a discussion on how to apply the ideas with their own team. This is what our manager did - she bought a copy of the book for each of us. At first I thought it was just a nice story when I first started reading it. Then I realized that it would not be hard for us to do exactly what was being described in the book. Our team had a great discussion and long-standing problems have now been resolved. This is definitely the most helpful and interesting book I have read in the past year.

Excellent business resource
Blanchard does a great job differentiating between vision, mission and purpose - something that is hard to do. He also describes how to create statements and implement them in an organization. The book uses a narrative style with some fictional characters. It makes the book longer than necessary, but also makes it quite readable. There are also good chapter and section summaries.

The best Blanchard book I've read
Very good and practical. This time the story is actually interesting, rather than a lame backdrop. The lady who reads the audio book does an outstanding job. All in all very good.