Kenneth Blanchard - Whale Done!: The Power of Positive Relationships

by Ken Blanchard

In 1976, when my family and I came to San Diego on sabbatical from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, one of the first places we visited was SeaWorld. Everyone we talked to urged us to see the Shamu killer-whale show. Since I was aware that killer whales are considered the most feared predators in the ocean, I didnt know what to expect. Would we just be watching them swim around? What a surprise when we entered Shamu Stadium and the show began! Before a minute had gone by, all of us were raving fans. As I watched these incredible creatures leap and dive, and even carry their trainers on their backs, I found myself fascinated. How had they been trained to perform such feats, and with such evident delight?

For years I had been talking and writing about the power of positive relationships and the need to catch people doing things right in order to develop productive work and home environments. And yet Id become discouraged to see that the very opposite was occurring in most organizations and homes: catching people doing things wrong seemed to be the rule. I was firmly convinced that punishment was harmful in human relationships, and I realized instinctively that it wouldnt be a smart move with killer whales. That belief was borne out when I took a group of our trainers and clients on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Shamu show, and met Chuck Tompkins, head trainer at the Orlando SeaWorld. Chuck and I, recognizing each other as soul mates, made an agreement: he would teach me about whale training and I would teach him about people training. In the process we found we were teaching the same things!

Yet we also had important concepts to learn from one another. I was particularly fascinated by the ability of SeaWorld trainers to use redirection. Upon encountering any undesirable behaviors on the whales part, they would immediately refocus those energies elsewhere. That very simple but powerful strategy permits the trainers to set up new situations to catch the whales doing something right. Everybody knows that accentuating the positive works best. But what do you do when somebody does something that has a negative impact? Thats where Chuck and the SeaWorld trainers opened my eyes. Instead of focusing energy, as most of us do, on what went wrong, they redirect that energy toward a positive outcome. When Chuck and I realized that the combination of redirection and accentuating the positive could make a major difference in work and family relationships, we began talking about writing a book together that would show how to apply these concepts.

That project remained a dream for several years until Chuck introduced me to his boss, colleague, and friend, Thad Lacinak. Now we had three dreamers determined to make it happen. A little later I invited Jim Ballard, an old friend, colleague, and writing partner, to join forces with us. With that critical mass, WHALE DONE! began to take shape. I am thrilled with this book and think it might be the most important book I have ever written.

HOW DO THEY DO THAT?

A collective gasp rose from a crowd of over three thousand spectators as they thrilled to the amazing performances of leaping killer whales. It was another show in Shamu Stadium at SeaWorld. All eyes in the grandstand were glued to the huge animals and their trainers, so no one noticed the wide range of emotions reflected in the face of a man in khakis and a blue shirt who sat in their midst. Each time the crowd exploded in applause and cheers as the animals performed one of their spectacular feats, the mans eyes would sparkle with surprise and delight. At other times his face would cloud over and his eyes assume a faraway look.

Wes Kingsley had come to Orlando to attend a business conference. Since the schedule left room for conferees to relax, play golf, or visit one of the areas attractions, he had decided that a visit to the world-famous marine zoological park would help him forget his troubles for a time.

He was glad he had made that decision. Earlier, along with throngs of other people eagerly crowding the huge stadium, he had taken his seat above the blue waters of the large main pool. Following a welcome and a review of safety rules by an animal trainer, a mysterious fog had begun to shroud the surface of the pool. From behind and above them, the crowd heard the scream of a fish eagle. The mighty bird suddenly swooped over their heads, dove toward the pool, and took a lure from the misty waters. As it flew away, huge black dorsal fins broke the surface, and onlookers caught their breath when they saw monstrous black shapes circling deep in the pool. A wet-suit-clad trainer came through the mists paddling a kayak, to be instantly surrounded by the fins of enormous killer whales.

Following this dramatic opening, the crowd witnessed a series of astonishing acrobatic leaps and dives by a trio of whalesa 10,000-pound male and two 5,000-pound females. These marine mammals, among the most feared predators in the ocean, waved their pectoral fins to the audience, allowed trainers to surf the pool by balancing on their back, and with sweeps of their great tails splashed the first ten rows of spectators with cold water. The roars of laughter, the oohs and aahs, and the thunderous applause attested to the crowds enjoyment.