University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
The Secret
Book

The Secret

What Great Leaders Know and Do

Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller
Berrett-Koehler, 2009
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Editorial Rating

7

Recommendation

With more than 20 million copies of his books in print, One-Minute Manager author Ken Blanchard is one of the world’s most popular business authors. You will immediately understand why after you read this inspirational business novel that he wrote with Mark Miller, training and development vice president of the Chick-fil-A restaurant chain. They tell the fictional, motivational story of Debbie Brewster, a newly appointed manager of corporate client services for a division of her company. As the narrative opens, Brewster is down for the count and sprawled out on the canvas. Her business unit is the company’s worst and she’s failing miserably as a leader. She worries that she will lose her job, but the firm’s president becomes her mentor and gives her a crash course on leadership. He’s a savvy leader and she is an apt pupil. He walks her through the “SERVE” leadership model and brings the reader along. You’ll feel the uplift as the book closes with Brewster’s staff cheering her as she moves up to a new executive position. getAbstract warmly recommends this short, nicely written parable on the meaning of leadership.

Summary

A Manager in Trouble

Debbie Brewster was worried. She had been doing well at work, winning a promotion to director of corporate client services for a division of her corporation. But now she was failing miserably. Her business unit had the firm’s poorest performance. It missed its profit goals and her employees clearly were unhappy. Nothing was going right, and Debbie didn’t know what to do. To get some perspective, she took a few hours off to go to the library, think quietly and make some notes.

When Debbie entered the library’s main reading room, a smiling librarian asked if she could help. Debbie replied that she needed only a quiet place to work. The librarian escorted her to a large desk in the corner of the room. Ten minutes later, she returned and offered to help. “What is the problem you’re trying to solve?” she asked. Debbie smiled ruefully, “In our company, we often refer to problems as opportunities,” she said. “OK, so what’s the opportunity?” the librarian asked, offering the library’s information resources.

Touched by her concern, Debbie confessed, “I’m worried that I am failing as a leader.” The librarian took Debbie to her computer and pulled ...

About the Authors

Ken Blanchard is the author of more than 40 books and the “chief spiritual officer” of The Ken Blanchard Companies. He is co-founder of Lead Like Jesus ministries. Mark Miller is in charge of training and development for Chick-fil-A, a quick-service restaurant chain.

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