Gung Ho! Turn On the People in Any Organization [Hardcover]

Ken Blanchard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 8, 1997

Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles, co-authors of the New York Times business bestseller Raving Fans, are back with Gung Ho! Here is an invaluable management tool that outlines foolproof ways to increase productivity by fostering excellent morale in the workplace. It is a must-read for everyone who wants to stay on top in today's ultra-competitive business world.

Raving Fans taught managers how to turn customers into full-fledged fans. Now, Gung Ho! brings the same magic to employees. Through the inspirational story of business leaders Peggy Sinclair and Andy Longclaw, Blanchard and Bowles reveal the secret of Gung Ho--a revolutionary technique to boost enthusiasm and performance and usher in astonishing results for any organization. The three principles of Gung Ho are:

• The Spirit of the Squirrel
• The Way of the Beaver
• The Gift of the Goose

These three cornerstones of Gung Ho are surprisingly simple and yet amazingly powerful. Whether your organization consists of one or is listed in the Fortune 500, this book ensures Gung Ho employees committed to success.

Gung Ho! also includes a clear game plan with a step-by-step outline for instituting these groundbreaking ideas. Destined to become a classic, Gung Ho! is a rare and wonderful business book that is packed with invaluable information as well as a compelling, page-turning story.

Management legend Ken Blanchard and master entrepreneur Sheldon Bowles are back with Gung Ho!, revealing a surefire way to boost employee enthusiasm, productivity, and performance and usher in astonishing results for any organization.

Raving Fans brilliantly schooled managers on how to turn customers into raving fans. Gung Ho! now brings the same magic to employees. Here is the story of how two managers saved a failing company and turned in record profits with record productivity. The three core ideas of Gung Ho! are surprisingly simple: worthwhile work guided by goals and values; putting workers in control of their production; and cheering one another on. Their principles are so powerful that business leaders, reviewing the manuscript for Ken and Sheldon, have written to say, "Sorry. Ignored instructions. Have photocopied for everyone. I promise to buy books, but can't wait. We need now!" Like Raving Fans, Gung Ho! delivers.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In these days where the computer reigns supreme and management thought is presented in complicated models, there is something refreshing about management principles taught by allegory. Blanchard (The One Minute Manager, LJ 3/1/84), along with coauthor Bowles (Raving Fans, Morrow, 1993) recounts an organizational turnaround based on three Native American lessons. In "The Spirit of the Squirrel," the lesson is one of the power of worthwhile work. In "The Way of the Beaver," the lesson is accomplished through empowerment. In "The Gift of the Goose," the lesson is the exponential factor of motivation. The problem inherent in the principles in this work, or any change program from weight-loss diets on up, is that there needs to be constant focus; success, if it is not continually renewed, is dissipated over time. Although new, this work makes a good preface and companion to Eliyahu Goldratt and Jeff Cox's The Goal (North River, 1992. 2d ed.).?Steven Silkunas, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority, Philadelphia
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

""Gung Ho!" will make a difference in your life, and in the lives of all of those you have theprivilege to touch."-- Anthony Robbins, author of "Awaken the Giant Within"and "Unlimited Power"""Gung Ho!" will become the preeminent book in energizing and empowering people as "The One Minute Manager? has become for management and "Raving Fans for customer service."-- Harvey Mackay, author of "Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive"and "Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty""Aboriginal North Americans are running banks and hospitals, designing computers and teaching in universities. They own and operate thousands upon thousands of successful businesses. It's nice to have the business-book world finally catch up to reality and give us Andy Longclaw, a man who saved 1,500 jobs and may well save yours." -- Phil Fontaine, Grand Chief, Assembly of Canadian Chiefs"Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles strike again. "You need and "business needs "Gung Ho!" This book will revolutionize any organization which adopts it, and those that don't won't survive. It's that simple."-- Tom Peters, co-author of "In Search of Excellence""I predict that like "Raving Fans" and "The One Minute Manager?, Gung Ho!" will become an invaluable tool in our team's pursuit of excellence. It conveys meaningful lessons about motivation, inspiration, and goal-setting that any organization can put to immediate use."-- Sally Gore, Human Resources Leader, W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.""Gung Ho!" shows in three easy steps how to release the energy and enthusiasm of your whole team and focus it on success. A great book."-- Stephen R. Covey, author of "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1 edition (October 8, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 068815428X
• ISBN-13: 978-0688154288
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (133 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,352 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > Business & Investing > Management & Leadership > Training
  • #17 in Books > Business & Investing > Industries & Professions > Human Resources & Personnel Management
  • #30 in Books > Business & Investing > Small Business & Entrepreneurship > Entrepreneurship

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gung Ho! is fantastic!, October 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Gung Ho! Turn On the People in Any Organization (Hardcover)

I ordered this book and it is the best business book I've ever read --- and I'm an avid reader of business books with an MBA. The authors have packed more common sense and genius ideas into a hundred or so pages than others can in 500 pages. I'm putting the Spirit Of The Squirrel, The Way Of The Beaver and The Gift Of The Goose to work in my own life and what a difference, at work AND at home! If you don't know what I'm talking about with these animals you need to find out. Thankyou Amazon for tipping me off to this book with these reviews.

30 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book and Here's Another!, February 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Gung Ho! Turn On the People in Any Organization (Hardcover)

Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles have created another classic. In a highly effective parable, they provide a blueprint any leader can use to create organizational excitement in just about any type of organization. The most positive characteristics of this book, like all Blanchard books, are the underlying values and wholesome philosophies that drive the message home at each juncture along the way. Whether a person is leading a small work group, a department, a division, or an entire company, he or she will find many useful ideas in this easy-to-read book.

Another book, with a foreword by Ken Blanchard, that I have just finished is also destined to be a classic alongside GUNG HO! I highly recommend everyone - not just people in leadership positions - read WINNING WAYS: FOUR SECRETS FOR GETTING GREAT RESULTS BY WORKING WELL WITH PEOPLE, by Dick Lyles. Dr. Lyles is a protégé of Blanchard and Bowles and this book proves that he, also, has mastered the art of parable writing. This book contains tips that will help anyone be more powerful and charismatic in their dealings with other people.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple ideas to motivate your people, October 19, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Gung Ho! Turn On the People in Any Organization (Hardcover)

This book is easy to read and offers wholesome useful advice to those who want to motivate others. Having read all the best-selling business and self help books, I believe we have to incorporate Optimal Thinking into corporate culture, and hire and retain people who can make the commitment to be their best regardless of the circumstances. So I recommend Optimal Thinking--How To Be Your Best Self along with this book.