Formula 2 + 2: The Simple Solution for Successful Coaching (Ken Blanchard) [Hardcover]

Douglas B Allen (Author), Dwight W Allen (Author)

Book Description

Series: Ken Blanchard | Publication Date: October 10, 2004

Even the best managers often view employee coaching and feedback as necessary evils, tasks to be done with little enthusiasm and as rarely as possible. Formula 2 + 2 provides managers with a simple yet powerful approach to revolutionizing feedback conversations and making them a regular and even welcome part of their duties. Based on the assertion that feedback is most effective when motivated by a spirit of helpfulness and a sincere desire to help employees succeed, the book explains five concepts - timeliness, balance, focus, specificity, and follow-up - that transform correction into encouragement, build an atmosphere of trust, and create positive and productive performance evaluations. The simple steps outlined in Formula 2 + 2 result in a more engaged and productive workforce and a more effective manager.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"2+2 is a revolutionary approach to performance appraisal that provides a key building block for leaders to be effective coaches." -- Noel M. Tichy, coauthor of the bestselling The Leadership Engine and The Cycle of Leadership

"Formula 2+2 shows managers and employees alike how to balance encouragement with suggestions for improvement ." -- Jack Canfield, coauthor of Chicken Soup for the Soul

"If you think managing and evaluating employees is frustrating, time-consuming, and exhausting, then read this book-right now! " -- Dorothy Marcic, faculty member at Vanderbilt University and author of Managing with the Wisdom of Love

"Read this book. Practice the concepts presented. I guarantee it will make a difference in the way your organization operates." -- Ken Blanchard, coauthor The One Minute Manager

"The 2+2 system allows managers to address positive and negative aspects of performance, encouraging feedback with a constructive spirit." -- Xu Erming, Dean, School of Business, Renmin University of China, Beijing

About the Author

Douglas B. Allen is Associate Professor of Management at the University of Denver, Daniels College of Business. Dwight W. Allen is Eminent Scholar of Educational Reform at Old Dominion University.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 90 pages
• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers; First Edition, First Printing edition (October 10, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576753107
• ISBN-13: 978-1576753101
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #235,090 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #84 in Books > Business & Investing > Management & Leadership > Teams

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good read, December 20, 2004

By 

Naomi Moneypenny "Executive Editor at ManyWor... - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Formula 2 + 2: The Simple Solution for Successful Coaching (Ken Blanchard) (Hardcover)

This excellent and fast reading book, written by a father and son team, contains some great advice for coaching employees and giving feedback that's really useful. If you, like many managers, dread doing performance reviews and put off difficult conversations until the last possible minute, you'll find some salvation in Formula 2+2. In some ways the framework presented is simple and intuitive, but takes some work in practice.

The book is written as a business fable. Seems we are all learning more from stories than ever. The tale begins with an introduction to a harried manager Pauline, and her staff who are responsible for sales at their organization. Pauline has the usual duties of a manager, with all the bureaucracy and effort that entails. Managing her staff, Pauline doesn't realize how some run-of-the-mill activities as part of the standard corporate performance management process, actually cause employee dissatisfaction and discord. Meeting an outside mentor, Pauline learns how to apply `balance, timeliness, focus, specificity and follow-up' as key elements of success in giving feedback.

A simply written, short and succinct text is complemented by interesting pull-out quotes, such as "feedback should be as much of a celebration of success as it is a correction of problems" and "whenever performance appraisals result in surprise, the manager has failed". While 2+2 may take some time to get right, it appears to be an excellent tool that the Allens have developed to help overcome one of the biggest issues managers have with their staff - communication.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, June 11, 2005

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Formula 2 + 2: The Simple Solution for Successful Coaching (Ken Blanchard) (Hardcover)

Formula 2+2 is a short, parable-like book in the style of Ken Blanchard's One Minute Manager. Its focus is on coaching, versus performance appraisal. The authors contend that the average performance appraisal is like a trip to the dentist - once a year, dreaded, and often too late to catch problems.

On the other hand, coaching can be "just in time" and focused on supporting people to be great, rather that correcting them for not becoming all that they can be. Formula 2+2 is the story of Paula, a potentially great manager, who is mentored by Audrey to implement the 2+2 formula, rather than focusing on performance appraisals. The book provides how-to's for the five keys to being a great coach: timeliness, balance, focus, specificity and follow-up.

These fundamentals give the key for providing the instant course correction and frequent feedback that is so necessary in today's fast-paced business environment. This affords a significant competitive advantage over managers who rely on the stiff, formal, all-too-infrequent performance appraisal that is often looked at as punishment - and a report card.

The book's goal is to help managers and employees alike view feedback as a positive, joyous experience. Formula 2 + 2 couples the giving of two compliments along with two suggestions for improvement, and it ties this formula into the five keys listed above. Good managers will easily leverage the information into significant results for their teams. Average managers will find that applying these techniques helps them stay managers by enabling them to do a job that they were quite possibly struggling with - and wondering if it would ever get better.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Principle and Formula for Uplifting People, January 16, 2005

By 

Scott McKenzie (Louisville, CO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Formula 2 + 2: The Simple Solution for Successful Coaching (Ken Blanchard) (Hardcover)

I picked up Formula 2 + 2 the other day because of the title. The book is a quick read of a simple concept, but profound formula, for communicating and encouraging people to be the best they can be. It is easy with my personality to find areas in which people need improvement. I have to work at the compliments and exhortation side of leadership and management. This formula helps me to conceptualize how to better encourage and lead those I work with in life.

Not only do I plan to use the 2 + 2 Formula of feedback and communication, but I have already instituted it with my family. I am also looking at how this can affect our church in a positive way.

Why do we wait until someone screws up, makes a serious mistake, or doesn't do what we ask before giving feedback? Building a communication style of regular and continuous positive feedback is a much better system for a manager. It makes it easier to offer course corrections, and its much better to build bridges than to burn them. The 2 + 2 system is essential to connecting vision and goals with tasks and behavior.

I highly recommend the book and its excellent solution for successful coaching!