I first picked up the original edition of this little book in December of 1985 and loved it immediately. Don’t be deceived by its small size, it’s packed with very practical leadership tools that you can put to use immediately.
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Written as a parable by Kenneth Blanchard, Ph.D. and Spencer Johnson, M.D., the book follows a young man as he interviews a succession of people in a high-performing organization and learns what makes them successful.
Instead of encountering the expected domineering autocratic leadership style, he finds a series of very effective leaders who lead people through empowerment.
By making goals that are crystal clear, by focusing on reinforcing good behavior instead of zeroing in on the bad, and by making corrections that focus on fixing the behavior instead of the person, the authors outline an effective way to lead people positively.
They provide clear, step-by-step instructions about what to do and how to do it, and include interesting results from several studies to explain why their method is so effective.
It remains a highly popular and easy read – and a great tool for new leaders to use to get started on the right foot.
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