Blanchard Kenneth H. - The secret: what great leaders know and do

What Great Leaders Know and Do

THIRD EDITION

Ken Blanchard
Mark Miller

The Secret

Copyright 2004, 2009, 2014 by Blanchard Family Partnership and Mark Miller

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Third Edition
Hardcover print edition ISBN 978-1-62656-198-4
PDF e-book ISBN 978-1-62656-199-1
IDPF e-book ISBN 978-1-62656-200-4

2014-1

Production Management: Michael Bass Associates

Cover Design: Irene Morris

This book is dedicated to
the next generation of
serving leaders.

by John Maxwell

Everything rises and falls on leadership! Thats why Ive been a student, a practitioner, and an advocate of leadership for more than thirty years. Thats also why Im excited to introduce this third edition of The Secret: What Great Leaders Know and Do. Since its initial publication in 2004, this book has been translated into over twenty languages and has sold a half million copies around the globe. Clearly, the book has struck a chord in a world hungry for effective ideas on this important subject.

Im not surprised that The Secret became a best seller. In fact, when I learned that Ken and Mark were collaborating on this project, I knew it would be a winner. Heres why:

Ken has been thinking and writing about leadership for four decades. Just look at this list of titles: The One Minute Manager, Leadership and the One Minute Manager, Gung Ho!, Leading at a Higher Level, Raving Fans, and Whale Done! The list could go on and on, and Im sure youve heard of many of these books (I hope youve read some of them as well). Ken has sold more than twenty million booksand counting. He is one of very few authors in history to have four titles on the Business Week best-seller list at one time. Ken has helped to shape the way our generation leads.

Mark has taken a different path. For more than thirty-five years, he has been part of the leadership team at one of Americas great organizations Chick-fil-A, Inc., based in Atlanta, Georgia. Chick-fil-A is a quick-service restaurant company with more than 1,700 locations and sales over $5 billion annually. Currently, Mark serves as vice president for organizational effectiveness. Ive had the privilege of speaking at the companys annual meeting on two occasions, and these people get it! The Secret is no secret in this organization. It is at the heart of their success.

My challenge to you is simple: learn The Secret then apply The Secret. If you do, your leadership and your life will be transformed forever.

John C. Maxwell
Best-selling author, speaker,
and leadership expert

How can leadership be this hard? One year ago today was the happiest day of my life. I had arrived! Only four years out of college, and my company had moved me into a leadership position: director of corporate client services for the southeast sales region. I knew I could handle the job, because Id started from our catalog call center, fielding customer requests and complaints. Then I was promoted to a project manager, working closely with sales and our corporate clients. Whatever the salespeople promised our customers, I delivered. And if I do say so myself, I was good at getting our corporate clients what they needed, when and where they needed it. I got all kinds of kudos for developing outstanding relationships with clients. I was sure I could make my staff do the same.

A year ago, I was on top of the world. Today, Im holding on for dear life and might lose my job. What happened? What went wrong?

With those thoughts, Debbie Brewster pulled into the parking lot at the public library. She knew she could never have an uninterrupted day in the office. Besides, her boss had always encouraged her to take some time every month to step back and Assess what had happened, Affirm what was working, and make Adjustments as needed. She had always been too busy to actually try it, but today was different. Drastic times demand drastic measures.

As Debbie entered the library, her mind flashed back to long-forgotten memories from her less-than-stellar educational career. The musty smell of the old volumes was as strong as ever. The lighting was about the samea bit too dark. That had never made much sense to her. Why arent libraries better lit?

Debbie approached the librarian and said, Hi, Im looking for a place to work. Somewhere with ample light, if thats possible.

Certainly, the woman said with a smile. Are there any particular resources youll need today?

No, but thanks anyway. I just need a quiet place to work for a few hours. I have a few business issues that I need to resolve.

Let me know if you need any help, the librarian offered. She escorted Debbie to a table in a quiet corner with two large windows on each side.

Debbie took a seat, pulled out her laptop and began. First, I need to get a firm grip on my current situation. Then Ill try to determine how I got into this mess.