Product Description

Written by the legendary bestselling author Ken Blanchard, The Secret (over 100,000 copies sold) answers a question most leaders ask at some point in their career, ?What do I need to do to be a great leader??

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #33252 in Books
• Published on: 2007-01-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 125 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Debbie, the heroine of this insipid business novella, is an archetypal customer relations executive who fails to wring improved performance from her micro-managed and dispirited subordinates. CEO Jeff takes her under his wing to impart the wisdom of "servant leadership" as exemplified by such figures as Jimmy Carter, Spartacus and, most of all, Jesus of Nazareth. Under his mentor, Debbie realizes that a leader's role is to inspire and empower underlings both in the workplace and in their personal lives. She learns to delegate so that she can focus on "vision" and "values." She commits herself to a project of "Reinventing Continuously" and she comes to understand that, since people are essences, not constructs, it's better to leverage employees' strengths rather than trying to fix their shortcomings; hiring decisions are therefore all-important and should involve no less than four exhaustive interviews. Armed with these principles, Debbie makes a spectacular new hire, gets her team to come up with the slogan "From Worst to First" and enlists them in continuous improvement of the work process. Soon performance skyrockets (exactly how remains somewhat mysterious), garnering Debbie a standing ovation and promotion to head of Leadership Development. Blanchard, co-author of The One Minute Manager, and Miller, an executive at the Chick-fil-A fast food chain, construct a rickety fictional matrix to support their high-minded but rather familiar leadership nostrums. Written in stilted business-school lingo ("`Hi Deb! Looks like you're managing by walking around today!'"), the narrative and dialogue elements come off as awkward filler that only accentuates the staleness of the truisms on offer.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile
This unimaginative audio handbook falls back on a tired business training technique: telling the story of an imaginary employee who just can't seem to lead her team to excellence. With its plodding style, the book, as delivered by the patient, well-meaning Adamson, leads us through two CDs of information that could have easily been conveyed on one. This is not to say the content lacks merit, but a rewrite to update the material would enhance the production. D.J.B. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From the Publisher
In The Secret, Debbie, a struggling leader finds herself about to lose her job due to poor performance. In a desperate attempt to save her career, she enrolls in a new mentoring program offered by her company. Much to her surprise, Debbie finds her mentor is the president of the company (Jeff Brown).

Debbie decides that all she needs is the answer to one question, "What is the secret of great leaders?" She is convinced that if Jeff will tell her, she can apply the secret in her leadership.

Over the next 18 months Jeff explains to Debbie that the secret is rooted in an attitude. He tells her that she must be willing to become a serving leader rather than a self-serving leader. The secret is that all great leaders serve.

After Debbie learns the secret she still doesn't know what to do next. Jeff explains that great leaders serve in at least five ways. They…

• See and shape the future
• Engage and develop others
• Reinvent continuously
• Value results and relationships
• Embody the values

The story unfolds as Debbie learns and applies each of these imperatives with her team. As a result, Debbie's team goes from worst to first. They become the highest performing team within the company.

In the end, Debbie understood that all the changes and improvements were the result of the choices she made as a leader. She realized that to SERVE is a choice. Debbie decided once and for all, she would no longer be a self-serving leader, she would be a serving leader!

Customer Reviews

Buy more than one!
Another outstanding quick read by Ken Blanchard. I usually listen to audiobooks due to time contraints. This book was actually given to me as a gift.

I began to read it and had a hard time putting it down. I just ordered five copies to share with others, including my children. Although they are not in the business world yet, I believe there is invaluable information they can benefit from and apply immediately. It also highlights the importance of character in leadership.

I recommend ordering more than one...this will make a great gift - it was for me!

A must for the corporate environment!
We have given this book to all of our management team. It is simple and sound. Buy and enjoy!

Regurgitated Archaic Concepts
Learned nothing new! The characters are comical, unreal, and unbelievable. Save your money and read your bible instead.