The Secret: What Great Leaders Know—and Do
By Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller
Berrett-Koehler, June 2004
124 pages, $19.95
Ken Blanchard, the man who brought you The One Minute Manager and Raving Fans, has returned, and in conjunction with Miller, a vice president of Chick-fil-A, a fast-food chain, has decided to reduce everything you need to know about leadership to a 124-page fable. In fact, he has distilled it to a five-letter word: SERVE. That’s an acronym for See the future; Engage and develop others; Reinvent continuously; Value results and relationships; Embody your company’s values. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the argument. And indeed the book could prove helpful to the leaders below you. Unfortunately, putting the acronym into action isn’t quite as simple as telling a tale.