The Secret of Teams: What Great Teams Know and Do (BK Business) [Hardcover]

Mark Miller (Author), Ken Blanchard (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 3, 2011 | Series: BK Business

Teams are critical to the success of every organization. Departmental, interdepartmental, cross-functional, ad hoc, task-specific—teams do everything from planning the office party to setting the annual budget to establishing performance goals.

But what separates the teams that really deliver from the ones that simply spin their wheels? What is the secret of high-performance teams?

As he did in The Secret, Mark Miller uses a compelling business fable to reveal profound yet easily grasped truths that can dramatically transform any organization. Debbie Brewster, the heroine of The Secret, has been promoted and is now struggling with taking her new team to the next level. Her old mentor, Jeff Brown, the company’s CEO, sends her out to find the secret of teams. On her journey she learns from three very different teams—the Special Forces, NASCAR, and a local restaurant.

Debbie and her team discover the three elements that all successful teams have in common. But that’s just the beginning. The devil is in the details, as the story of Debbie’s efforts to actually implement the three elements shows. You’ll learn how to change entrenched ways of thinking and acting, what you have to do to optimize each of the three elements of a successful team, how to measure your progress, and more.

Creating high-performance teams does more than just give your organization a competitive advantage. It can be a performance multiplier that significantly improves results while honoring and developing people. It may be the ultimate win-win-win that your organization is seeking.
 

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for The Secret Of Teams

“One parable, well told, is worth a thousand rules. In this parable Mark deftly captures how he and his colleagues at Chick-fil-A have managed to tap into the very essence of what allows teams to become the best version of themselves—great talent, incredible skills, and a tight sense of community. If you are seeking the same for your own team or business, read The Secret of Teams.”
—Marcus Buckingham, New York Times bestselling author of First, Break all the Rules and Now, Discover Your Strengths

“No one understands the importance of culture and teamwork more than the folks at Chick-fil-A. They’re flat out one of the best companies in the world. Mark Miller shares some of their secrets in this remarkable business fable.”
—Patrick Lencioni, President, The Table Group, and author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

“Mark Miller's fine book is a must if you want to take your team from good to great. Written in a very simple, clear, and concise manner, The Secret of Teams distills complicated management theory into easily digestible bite-size pieces. I recommend this book for everyone who is leading a team or will soon lead a team.”
—General Charles Krulak, 31st Commandant of the US Marine Corps and President, Birmingham-Southern College

“Teamwork is still the ultimate competitive advantage. The Secret of Teams will help you take your team to the next level. When a team is not firing on all cylinders, everyone on the team knows that. How is your team doing? Teams don’t fail because they want to fail; they fail because they don’t know how to succeed. Let Mark Miller show your team how to succeed.”
—Matthew Kelly, New York Times bestselling author of The Dream Manager and Off Balance

“Mark offers unique experience and insight into how teams perform and what it takes to get more out of teaming efforts.”
—Jon Katzenbach, Senior Partner, Booz & Company, coauthor of The Wisdom of Teams, and author of Peak Performance

Review

“Whether you’re part of a huge corporation, a not-far-profit organization, or a small company with just a few employees, apply the principles and practices in The Secret of Teams to make your workplace come alive.”
      —Ken Blanchard, author of the bestselling classic The One Minute Manager (Ken Blanchard ) --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers (October 3, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1609940938
• ISBN-13: 978-1609940935
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 0.6 x 8.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #67,982 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mark Miller is a business leader, best-selling author and communicator.

Mark began his Chick-fil-A career working as an hourly team member in 1977. In 1978, Mark joined the corporate staff working in the warehouse and mailroom. Since that time, he has provided leadership for Corporate Communications, Field Operations, and Quality and Customer Satisfaction, and today he serves as the Vice President, Training and Development. During his time with Chick-fil-A, annual sales have grown to over $4 billion. The company has more than 1,600 restaurants in 39 states and the District of Columbia.

Mark began writing about a decade ago. He teamed up with Ken Blanchard, co-author of "The One Minute Manager" to write "The Secret : What Great Leaders Know and Do." Today, almost 400,000 copies of "The Secret" are in print, and it has been translated into more than 20 languages. Recently, he released "The Secret of Teams" which outlines some of the key lessons learned from a 20 year study on what makes some teams outperform the rest. His newest book, "Great Leaders Grow : Becoming a Leader for Life," was released in February 2012 and was co-authored with Ken Blanchard.

In addition to his writing, Mark loves speaking to leaders. Over the years, he's traveled extensively around the world teaching for numerous international organizations. His theme is always the same: encouraging and equipping leaders. His topics include leadership, creativity, team building, and more.

Mark has an active lifestyle. As a photographer, he enjoys shooting in some of the world's hardest-to-reach places, including Mount Kilimanjaro, Everest Base Camp and the jungles of Rwanda.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Secret is Out February 19, 2013

By auskavitch

Format:Hardcover

If you Google "the secret of teams book" you wind up with 122,000,000 hits. So where's the secret? The "secret" is in Mark Miller's book, "The Secret of Teams". Finally a book that makes you go, "hmm, that just makes sense". Here is an easy to read, easy to understand, parable about Debbie Brewster's quest to find out what makes great teams by looking at three very different, but very successful teams and what makes them great - including many common threads.

I loved one of the quotes that said, "If they can't have a productive meeting without me physically present, I've not equipped or empowered them very well". This book will give you the common sense - and not so common - ideas that you need to change thinking and develop staff in order to create effective, high-performing teams.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Last Team Book You'll Ever Need To Buy ... February 18, 2013

By John E. Smith

Format:Hardcover

If you work as part of a team or need help developing a team to work together more effectively you can buy hundreds of books about team development ... or you could just buy "The Secret of Teams: What Great Teams Know and Do" and you’ll be fine … honest

I say this because, in clear and concise language, using a narrative form, Mark Miller has addressed most of what we need to consider about groups of people working together.

Mark draws an engaging picture of a leader, Debbie and her team, and their work trying to connect with and help other teams in their corporation. Many challenges exist, since both Debbie’s team and the many teams they are working with, all have issues, as we might expect.

The layers sound complex, but Mark’s enjoyable narration allows us to easily keep up with the groups and the people in these various groups without difficulty.

Here are three reasons why I like this book:

It’s COMPLETE …

Mark includes issues on human emotional needs, performance measurement, and the interlocking dynamics of people working together, but with different goals and styles. He covers the waterfront in terms of the diverse nature of teamwork and pulls in contributions and strategies from several different disciplines.

Many business books only focus on a specific segment of the issue and this is a valid approach. However, I enjoy the synergy which comes from blending learning from many areas. This provides credibility and makes what you learn more valuable as you apply it.

It’s CLEAR …

As noted earlier, Mark uses a narrative style to illustrate the very real business and organizational development points he wants to make. Using people, dialogue, and scenarios, laced together into a compelling story, he does this simply and effectively.

We can read the same things in a whole stack of erudite and research-based books, with charts, graphs, and comprehensive treatments … or we can read Mark’s story and get the same ideas while being entertained.

It’s CRITICAL …

If one skill exists in business today that continues to demand our attention and energy, it is the art of working effectively in and with groups.

Our increasing connectedness, 24/7 nature of work, and the ever-mounting pace of change demand that we work together and do so in a highly efficient and productive way.

If we do not, we fail …

The Secret of Teams is one very painless lesson in team leadership and group development. You hardly notice you are learning solid lessons about people behavior and group dynamics. You are just reading an engaging story about some interesting people, who act and sound just like your co-workers … and maybe even you on occasion.

Mark Miller, well known business leader, best-selling author, and communicator, is excited about sharing The Secret of Teams: What Great Teams Know and Do with those who are ready to grow. You can find it on Amazon and in bookstores everywhere.

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book for review. As I always make clear, I only publish reviews of books that have value. This was one of the easiest books to read, review, and recommend in my memory.

Wishing all business and leadership books were this much fun in the Heartland ….

John

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Secret is In The Story February 16, 2013

By R. McConaughy

Format:Hardcover

I still remember The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt where Goldratt helped us understand production efficiency with a story. This book is in the style of The Goal. By telling a story Mark Miller uncovers what teams need to know to succeed.

I highly recommend The Secret of Teams to anyone working with teams in any form.