Customer Reviews

The Secret: What Great Leaders Know - And Do

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is the story of Debbie, a struggling and a failing leader, who learns the lessons of management from her Boss. Miserable with her poor performance, the character of Ken's Book, joins the Mentor Program offered by her company and incidentally, Jeff, the president of the company happens to be the trainer. She thoroughly undergoes the training sessions where she realise her mistakes. She is taught to be a 'Serving Leader' rathar than a 'self-serving Leader'. She learns the secrets of success with the five steps :
* Seeing and shaping the future
* Engaging and developing others
* Continuously Reinvent
* Value results and relationships
* Embody the values
Debbie learns whatever is needed to be a good leader, analyze her progress with examples, excercises and tips. In process with Debbie's example, Ken Blanchard has made successful attempt to teach the Leadership Lessons to all successful as well as troubled and failed Leaders. The Book provides a guide to solve problems that seem complex and make it easier with the concepts clear - A choice to Serve. Not always I guess, because while Serving too without being self-served, the Leader becomes a struggler if the Company policies and the Boss Attitude and vision is not focused. Sometimes wavelengths do not meet. However, based on the author's experience and drawn from examples of best leaders, this book gives an insight to improve upon one's own abilities and in serving others, tackle the situations with ease without struggling lamely. Ken Blanchard's experience speaks in volumes. A good Pick.

I must admit that I don't usually purchase or enjoy very many "leadership" books, but this one is truly different. This book is written in a quick-read style and is very easy to understand. The principles are easy to remember and hard to apply, but have had a transformational impact on my life. I believe readers will find that if they have the guts and discipline to consistently think about ways to apply these principles, they will see a major shift in how people respond to them in their family life, business life, or church life. I have already shared my copy of the book with others, and they have each pointed out specific aspects of the book that they say completely changed their way of looking at the world.

I think this book makes great gifts for people you work with or family members. Don't be surprised if some folks don't "get it"...it's the people that do "get it" that are going to find amazing ways to apply these principles and impact the lives of others!

"The Secret" is a message about leadership woven into a story of a leader struggling with her team's performance. When she applies for the Company mentor program, she is paired with the Company President, who imparts some simple, but powerful wisdom about what great leaders do.

There are hundreds of good books on leadership, but some of the best are those which take advantage of application opportunity and relay the concepts within a storyline that demonstrates how they are applied. This book does a credible job of that, although the story is at times a bit contrived.

The essential message is the SERVE model of leadership. The model is simple, yet effective. Buy the book and find out what the "secret" of great leadership is. I recommend this book for anyone who leads people or coaches those who do.

This is a simple, easy to use book on learning to be a leader. Although a little simplistic in it's storyline, the SERVE model is easy to understand and put into practice. I have met Mark Miller and can say he practices what he writes about in the book. And if you look at the success of Chik-fil-A®, you would want to know their secret!

I recommend this book to anyone in a leadership position. I found the book to be an easy read, yet strong in content. I look forward to implementing the "SERVE" model at work and in everyday life. Thank you Mr. Blanchard and Mr. Miller for your insight into leadership.

This book really inspired me. I always thought great leaders were born, not made. This book demonstrates that by following five enlightened principles, anyone can become a positive influence in the home, workplace, community or world, and thus become a leader. The Secret has changed the way I interact with others for the better.

In "The Secret" Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller provide readers with a simplistic and enjoyable story that explains valuable lessons in leadership. This is not a gripping novel nor is it an in-depth explanation of leadership theory and practices. It is a palatable, memorable, and practical explanation of a serving model of leadership.

SERVE is an acronym for Seeing the future, Engaging and developing others, Reinventing continuously, Valuing results and relationships, and Embodying the values. Through the life of the books characters you'll see these principles lived out. Blanchard's found an ingenious formula for sharing keys to effective leadership, management and life. It is a great method of getting the non-technical person to read a business book. "The Secret" is another quality offering by Ken Blanchard.

The writing is definitely on the light side; very easy read and even easier to understand. If not careful you will miss the meat that are on those bones. I didn't give it 5 stars because the story seemed a bit too light. I would have prefered actual situations over the made up story.

The Secret is that one who wants to lead must first SERVE. Not only is this a great attitude to have but it also had a hidden meaning:

S: See the future
E: Engage and develop others
R: Reinvent continously
V: Value Results and Relationships
E: Embody the Values

This is a good book to start with before you get into a Maxwell book where you will get the reasoning and explanation behind the steps.

I found the book easy to read and adaptable for any leadership situation. The concepts were broad enough to use in any arena, yet specific enough that you know the goals you need to achieve. It was nice not needing a degree in business or management to understand the philosophy behind this book. Kudos to the authors!!

Leadership is a topic that everyone talks about, but it is often hard to figure out how to be a great leader or teach others to be one. This book is wonderful in that it tells in simple language, in a story format, what anyone needs to do to be a great leader. I am going to give it to all the managers in my department.