The Secret: What Great Leaders KnowAnd Do by Kenneth H. Blanchard

The Secret: What Great Leaders KnowAnd Do Reviews

• 
  Mike Madden

  Cheesy
• 
  Hal Johnson

  Is it possible that this book is actually good and only my cynical eye-rolling keeps me from perceiving it as such? Certainly the clunky prose does the text no favors. But, I mean, the advice probably isn’t bad.
  
  And yet.
  
  Debbie the supervisor (in the book’s leaden narrative) is being mentored by her boss. “‘I’ll begin by telling you a little bit about my background’ [he tells her]. Over the next twenty minutes, Debbie learned more about Jeff than all of her research had revealed. He was a fascinating, well-rounded person.” More than the fantasy of competence or the fantasy of power, this book seems to be selling the fantasy of being a boss who can monologue about himself for twenty minutes and have his audience exclaim “fascinating!” “Debbie…could hardly wait for their next meeting.” (Later) she bubbles to him, “Your insights and encouragement mean more to me than you’ll ever know. As always, I’m looking forward to our next meeting.” (Later) “Debbie was both enthusiastic and grateful. ‘Once again, Jeff, you’ve stretched my thinking.’” Etc. Sure, there’s the word SERVE, and it turns out (surprise!) to be an acronym for various tortured phrases, but isn’t the main idea of the book the semipornographic dream of a subordinate hanging on your every word? Who can resist?
  
  Maybe if you have a proverbial iron will you can read this book and pass through the other side as a better manager. I can’t help but suspect most readers will simply feel justified monologuing for twenty minutes before pausing, briefly, to wait, in vain, for that coo of “fascinating!”.
• 
  Ayan

  *4.5 stars*
  
  This book was different from any non-fiction book I've read. This book had a"story-telling" element which made it really fun to read. Also it made me feel close to the characters in the book. Like when Debbie was continually growing as a leader I felt so proud!
  
  I also liked the meetings Debbie had with John, and the Q&A feel made me learn more about what it means to be leader and etc.
  
  So I really liked this book! And I liked how it was short and got to the point.
  
  
• 
  Paige

  I read this as if it were an 80s sitcom with a laugh track and everyone has horrible hair. I literally threw the book when one of the supporting characters (yes, this is entirely fictionalized) mentioned that he'd love to dine with Jesus of Nazareth.
  
  It has good ideas but it's cheesy as hell.
• 
  Andy

  This is good for what it is: a little story about how "leaders serve."
• 
  Brent

  Servant leadership means developing people
  
  Blanchard is one of my favorite writers. In this book he tells the story of developing a leader who develops leaders, I.e., a servant leader. A servant meets the needs of others. I still have a long ways to go, but this book gives a great checklist.
• 
  Sabrina

  Loved the story. Very insightful and inspiring.
• 
  Reid

  I borrowed the following comments from an Amazon review:
  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' rather 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, exercises and tips.
  
  This was another readable story from the Blanchard library. All the books seem to reinforce each other and the story-telling and summary format is really great.
  
  I plan to use this in my company
  
• 
  C.G.Koens

  Told in the form of a story, Miller and Blanchard explain the ideas behind SERVE - the acronym for the five steps that will help change you from a self-serving leader, to a serving leader. It's simple, but effective, and in essence, it's exactly what Jesus Christ exemplified during his 33 years on earth - to be great, you must first be a servant. As a long-time fan of John C. Maxwell (who also wrote the Forward for The Secret), I'm happy to be able to add a new author to my leadership shelf.
• 
  Theresa Romero

  This is definitely an introductory read in the 'business/leadership' field, but it has many great nuggets of wisdom!
  I enjoyed the flow of te storyline and how relatable it was to any person within the professional field.
  I would give this book to someone that is entry-level in the (any) business and who wants to grow in leadership and in the field.
  
  It's an easy read that does not have too much jargon terms.
• 
  Waris Ahmad Faizi

  Marvelous!!!
  The Secret is one of the best books I have ever read in leadership.
  The SERVE concept was awesome.
  An appreciable and creative work by Mr. Ken Blanchard and Mr. Mark Miller!
  Vision, People, Improvement, Success, and Credibility are the 5 keywords focus of the book.
  I sincerely recommend this book to all those who want to be a serving leader, not a self-serving leader.
  
  
• 
  Aaron Mikulsky

  Read The Secret What Great Leaders Know and Do vs. the other book The Secret. This is a very short but meaningful book on the basics of leadership. It is much like the book Love 2 Lead. Here is a summary if you don't care to read the parable.
  
  Many people have the career objective of being a leader yet never give meaning to what that means.
  
  Ask: Am I a serving leader or a self-serving leader?
  
  “Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve.” - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
  
  Developing leaders is one of the highest strategic priorities an organization should focus on. Everything rises and falls on leadership. Leadership is more about what others don’t see you than what they do see. Two components of leadership are being and doing. Think of skills as doing and character as being. Think of the metaphor of ships falling prey to icebergs. In most of these tragedies, what sank the ships? The part that was under the water, unseen. Character – or lack of it – is still the nemesis of most leaders in our world today. Select men and women of character and develop their skills.
  
  The best leaders lead with a servant heart. Great leaders don’t become great in a moment; they become great leaders one day at a time. You’ll never finish; you’ll never completely arrive.
  
  Service alone will not make anyone a leader. A person can serve without leading, but a leader cannot lead well without serving.
  
  SERVE:
  Set the future
  Engage and develop others
  Reinvent continuously
  Value results and relationships
  Embody the values
  
  Set the future: to envision and communicate a compelling picture of a preferred future.
  
  A compelling vision stirs passion within you. It tells everyone who works with you who you are, where you’re going, and what will drive your behavior. Creating a compelling vision is one of the privileges and most serious demands of leaders. Leadership is about taking people from one place to another. It’s the leader’s job to make time today to ensure that there is a tomorrow. Seeing the future is one leadership responsibility that cannot be delegated but it can be shared.
  There is a constant tension between the Heads Up versus Heads Down challenge.
  Heads Up is about vision and direction, and unless you keep replenishing that vision, it will gradually disappear. Leaders must consistently see and communicate the future, as well as anticipate opportunities and obstacles.
  Heads Down is when leaders help people with implementation and making the vision a reality. Values should drive everyone’s behavior. Publishing values help ensure they are repeated, recognized, and rewarded. Values are beliefs that drive behavior.
  
  Engage and develop others: To recruit and select the right people for the right job while creating an environment where people wholeheartedly invest themselves in achieving the vision.
  
  Everything that you will accomplish as a leader ultimately hinges on the people you have around you. The best leaders work diligently to select good people and give job candidates ample time to interview during the process. Work hard to fit people in the right jobs and help them leverage their strengths rather than fixing them later. The leader’s objective is to leverage the strengths of people and make their weaknesses become irrelevant. Peter Drucker believed that the most important decision executives make is “who does what.”
  
  Engage peoples’ heads and hearts. With every pair of hands you hire, you get a free brain. The best leaders invest in the development of their people. Lesser leaders don’t. Create the expectations for learning and growing - creating learning and development opportunities and providing educational resources.
  
  Reinvent continuously: to possess a never-ending focus on improvement.
  
  The very best leaders are learners. If you stop learning, you stop leading. The leader must model the behavior he or she wants people to emulate. Continuous improvement and growth is critical to keep up with the competition and the rate of change in our world. Many of the answers that worked in the past are not working today. Personal reinvention should be one of a leader’s highest priorities because we have a stewardship responsibility to maximize our God-given talents. We can only do that as we continuously learn and grow.
  
  Value results and relationships: to generate positive, measurable results and cultivate great relationships with those you lead.
  
  More leaders seem to struggle with this than the other elements of the five SERVE practices. Most corporate leaders have said it’s all about results. Profits and financial strength are the applause we get for a job well done. John Maxwell said, “People will not give you their hand until they can see your heart.”
  Have high expectations for both results and relationships. Know your bias and embrace it; and work to compensate for your bias.
  
  Embody the values: to live in a fashion consistent with your shared values. More of leadership is caught rather than taught. Walk the talk. All genuine leadership is built on trust. Great leaders establish, articulate, model, and enforce core values.
  
  You want to build a leadership culture where leaders are routinely and systematically developed. You start by finding a common leadership definition or point of view and: teach it, practice it, measure it, and model it.
• 
  Nat

  The most boring book I've ever read.
• 
  Koko

  يعد الكتاب الأول من نوعه الذي يعطي القارئ الشغف بالقراءة فعلى الرغم من أن ما يحويه هو عبارة عن مادة علمية إلا أن طريقة طرحه للموضوع بالصورة القصصية تعطيه ميزة خاصة
• 
  Michael

  Good points but also full of typical leadership jargon. Nothing earth-moving here.
• 
  Pedro Polanco

  Sensible
• 
  Ashik Uzzaman

  This week I finished "The Secret: What Great Leaders Know and Do" by Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller. I was interested to read this book as I recently read Mark Miller's "The Heat of Leadership" and "The Secret of Teams". I am also a big fan of Ken Blanchard's "One Minute Manager".
  
  This a fantastic business fable involving a struggling leader Debbie Brewster discovering some timeless leadership principles through the mentorship from Company President Jeff Brown.
  
  The book starts with the Iceberg Analogy for Leadership. Leadership needs both skills and characters. Skills are like the top of the iceberg that we can see. It's above the water, it's the doing part. But a larger portion of leadership remains under the water, that we don't see. It's the being part that embodies values, character, beliefs, trusted relationships. To remember it clearly I drew the below picture some items of which are not directly from the book but rather my own understanding.
  
  The book then dives deep into the SERVE Model for Leading. It describes that regardless of their formal title or position, people who want to be great leaders must embrace an attitude of service to others. The acronym is broken down into the following -
  
  (1) S – See the Future. Create a compelling vision.
  A quote from the book - "Leadership is about taking people from one place to another. One of a leader’s top priorities must be to assure that the team knows where you are headed".
  (2) E – Engage and Develop Others. Build the right team, engage and empower them to do their best work.
  A quote from the book - "You want to do more than enlist their hands – you want to engage their heads and hearts also".
  (3) R – Reinvent Continuously. Look for constant improvements, new ways of doing work.
  A quote from the book - "Great leaders…are always interested in ways to enhance their own knowledge and skills. The very best leaders are learners".
  (4) V – Value Results and Relationships. Find the proper balance between driving results and building working relationships.
  A quote from the book - "The way to maximize your results as a leader is to have high expectations for both results and relationships".
  (5) E – Embody the Values. Leaders must walk the talk, show integrity.
  A quote from the book - "The best teachers are always those who know they haven’t got it figured out."
  
  Source:
  http://www.dragon-bishop.com/2021/07/...
• 
  Gabe

  Hahaha a serious copy cat of Leadership and self deception. I mean, the high level boss takes an interest in a lowly team manager and shows them how to be a true leader. Its a story format. Even though it wasn't very original, I think that this is a great format to teach skills by. easy to listen to and inspiring that it could really happen.
  Main idea:
  Great leader adopt and attitude of service. mainly 5 difference ways via this acronym:
  
  S- See the future. help the people they lead see the destination and why its worth getting there
  E- Engage and develop others. Recruit and find the right people and then when they get here engage their minds and their hearts—not just their hands
  R- Reinvent continuously.
  personally rethink
  systems and processes. (How are we doing the work and how can we do it better)
  structure of the organization.
  V- Value results AND relationships
  E- Embody the values. A leader must say the values and show the values. (walk the talk not stumble the mumble)
• 
  Alireza Hejazi

  The simple idea of the book is that a leader cannot effectively lead without serving. Servant Leadership (SL) is the book’s central topic. Serving others simply implies that you are expected to take action rather than merely feel bad for them or have pity for them. Why? Because acting after saying you care is the same as not caring at all. Real servant leadership is concerned. And since it cares, it has to take action. The SERVE model of leadership is suggested in the book as a result of this idea. It speaks about the five essential traits of outstanding leaders: See the future; engage and develop people; reinvent yourself; value relationships and outcomes, and embody the ideals. Readers and leaders who are mentally prepared to accept SL by putting others first should read this book. Studying this book will annoy you more if you have the hazardous sickness of egotism unless you consciously want to get rid of it.
• 
  Richard Angelus

  The Secret is no more the secret... Am I a serving leader or a self-serving leader? For Ken and Mark, to lead is to serve. "The Secret" is a well-known international bestseller for a leadership book, and I'm excited to read and review it. Why? The format of this book is easy to read. They presenting major leadership topics in a way that is enjoyable, easy to understand, and applicable. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone – especially young people – who aspire to be a great leader. Bottom line: If you want to be a great leader, get this book, read it, and apply it!
  
  To read my summary and short review
  of Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller's The Secret: What Great Leaders Know And Do (2nd Edition 2004, 2009), CLICK HERE:
  https://www.richardangelus.me/2018/05...
• 
  Kalee

  I don't read leaderships book often, especially by my own choice, but each time I read one, I can't help but think,"Why don't I read these more often?" This book was truly engaging and full of knowledge, yet short enough that I read it easily in one sitting. The SERVE method was easy to memorize and relate to, and although, of course, I won't be able to implement all of the ideas in this book immediately as a simple fix to leadership issues, it has provided a sound basis for self-improvement and reflection.
• 
  Rishabh Anand

  An excellent book that reveals the secret of leadership in an engaging form of story.
  The book rightly describes the leader as the one who serves and explains all the characteristics in the keyword "SERVE".
  S= Set the Future
  E=Engage and Develop Others
  R=Reinvent Continuously
  V=Value Results and Relationships
  E=Embody the Value
  Would recommend this book to everyone to read.
• 
  Matt Seltzer

  Like all of Blanchard's books, this one was short, sweet, and profound. I love leadership books, and hearing the concept of leadership described as an ongoing process of serving others was super refreshing.
  
  For anyone who leads people, or wants to lead people, this is a phenomenal read, filled with great ideas and excellent motivation!
• 
  Marlena May

  This book is practical and entertaining. The reader follows the story of Debbie, a boss who is mentored by the company's leader, Jeff. As she learns the SECRET for great leadership, things in her department begin to change. Simultaneously, us, the readers will reap good results if we apply the SECRET in our leadership positions.