Ken Blanchard

Best-Selling Author, Speaker, Leadership Expert, Thought Leader

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Book Recommendations:

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Recommended by Ken Blanchard

In an easy, readable style, David Cottrell identifies the essentials for quality leadership and management. Don't miss Monday Morning Leadership. (from Amazon)

Monday Morning Leadership is a story that can help your career! Everyone likes a good story, especially if there are lessons that can be immediately applied to life. This book is one of those stories - about a manager and his mentor. It offers unique encouragement and direction that will help you become a better manager, employee, and person.

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Recommended by Ken Blanchard

A fast, entertaining read that should be required reading for anyone who deals with people. Highly recommended. (from Amazon)

How to get anything you want without argument or confrontation. Dawson reveals powerful strategies applicable to all daily encounters--from closing million-dollar sales to settling disputes with children.

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Recommended by Ken Blanchard

I'm always excited about books that help managers become true leaders and The Sales Manager's Guide to Greatness is one of those books. (from Amazon)

2018 Axiom Business Book Award Winner, Silver Medal Amazon Best Seller in Sales & Selling Management Amazon Best Seller in Management Amazon Best Seller in Business Leadership Training Amazon Best Seller in Business Teams Straightforward advice for taking your sales team to the next level! If your sales team isn't producing the results expected, the pressure is on you to fix the situation fast. One option is to replace salespeople. A better option is for you to optimize your performance as a sales leader. In The Sales Manager's Guide to Greatness, sales management consultant Kevin F. Davis offers 10 proven and distinctly practical strategies, skills, and tools for overcoming the most challenging obstacles sales managers face and moving your team ahead of the pack. This book will help you: Learn the 6 sales rep instincts that can cripple your management effectiveness, and replace these instincts with a more powerful leadership mindset - true sales leadership begins with improving the leader withinStop getting bogged down by distractions, become more proactive, and find more time to coach, lead, and inspire your salespeopleGet every salesperson on your team to be more accountable and driven to achieve breakthrough sales resultsMaster the 7 keys to hiring great salespeopleCreate a more customer-driven sales team by blending the buyer's journey into your sales processSpeed up the improvement of your team by mastering the 7 keys to achieving better coaching outcomesExcel at the most challenging coaching conversation you face - how to solve a sales performance problem that is caused by a rep's lousy attitudeAttain higher win-rates by intervening as a coach at the most critical stages of a buying cycle, quickly identify opportunities at risk, and coach more deals to the closeDiscover why so many salespeople fail at sales forecasting and how to impress your company's upper management by submitting more accurate forecastsAnd much more...You can apply the strategies outlined in this book immediately to take control of your time and priorities as a sales manager, become more strategic, deliver high-performance coaching that grows revenues, and ultimately drive your team to greatness.

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Recommended by Ken Blanchard

An illuminating and easy-to-read book. Jack’s teaching is highly effective. (from Amazon)

In celebration of its 10th anniversary, a revised and updated edition of Jack Canfield’s classic bestseller with a brand new foreword and an afterword for succeeding in the digital age. Since its publication a decade ago, Jack Canfield’s practical and inspiring guide has helped thousands of people transform themselves for success. Now, he has revised and updated his essential guidebook to reflect our changing times. In The Success Principles, the cocreator of the phenomenal bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul series, helps you get from where you are to where you want to be, teaching you how to increase your confidence, tackle daily challenges, live with passion and purpose, and realize all your ambitions. Filled with memorable and inspiring stories of CEO’s, world-class athletes, celebrities, and everyday people, it spells out the 64 timeless principles used by successful men and women throughout history—proven principles and strategies that can be adapted for your own life, whether you want to be the best salesperson in your company, become a leading architect, score top grades in school, lose weight, buy your dream home, make millions, or just get back in the job market. Taken together and practiced every day, these principles will change your life beyond your wildest dreams.

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Recommended by Ken Blanchard

Are you haunted by the ghosts of unfinished goals? I never met an idea I didn’t like, so I know all about the excitement of starting and the difficulty of finishing. Fortunately, the ever-entertaining Jon Acuff has come to the rescue in this terrific new book. Finish identifies the many ways we sabotage our own progress and gives us powerful tools to ‘get ’er done.’ Read Jon’s book, apply its wisdom, and I guarantee you’ll cross your personal finish line—laughing all the way. (from Amazon)

Year after year, readers pulled me aside at events and said, “I’ve never had a problem starting. I’ve started a million things, but I never finish them. Why can’t I finish? According to studies, 92 percent of New Year’s resolutions fail. You’ve practically got a better shot at getting into Juilliard to become a ballerina than you do at finishing your goals. For years, I thought my problem was that I didn’t try hard enough. So I started getting up earlier. I drank enough energy drinks to kill a horse. I hired a life coach and ate more superfoods. Nothing worked, although I did develop a pretty nice eyelid tremor from all the caffeine. It was like my eye was waving at you, very, very quickly. Then, while leading a thirty-day online course to help people work on their goals, I learned something surprising: The most effective exercises were not those that pushed people to work harder. The ones that got people to the finish line did just the opposite— they took the pressure off. Why? Because the sneakiest obstacle to meeting your goals is not laziness, but perfectionism. We’re our own worst critics, and if it looks like we’re not going to do something right, we prefer not to do it at all. That’s why we’re most likely to quit on day two, “the day after perfect”—when our results almost always underper­form our aspirations. The strategies in this book are counterintuitive and might feel like cheating. But they’re based on studies conducted by a university researcher with hundreds of participants. You might not guess that having more fun, eliminating your secret rules, and choosing something to bomb intentionally works. But the data says otherwise. People who have fun are 43 percent more successful! Imagine if your diet, guitar playing, or small business was 43 percent more suc­cessful just by following a few simple principles. If you’re tired of being a chronic starter and want to become a consistent finisher, you have two options: You can continue to beat yourself up and try harder, since this time that will work. Or you can give yourself the gift of done.

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Recommended by Ken Blanchard

An instant classic, The Latte Factor is the perfect gift for people of any age who don’t like to think about finances—and are poorer and unhappier because of it. Invest one hour to read this book and reap positive returns for a lifetime! (from Amazon)

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, WALL STREET JOURNAL,AND INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER Discover #1 New York Times bestselling author David Bach’s three secrets to financial freedom in an engaging story that will show you that you are richer than you think. Drawing on the author’s experiences teaching millions of people around the world to live a rich life, this fast, easy listen reveals how anyone—from millennials to baby boomers—can stillmake his or her dreams come true. In this compelling, heartwarming parable, Bach and his bestselling coauthor John David Mann (The Go-Giver) tell the story of Zoey, a twenty-something woman living and working in New York City. Like many young professionals, Zoey is struggling to make ends meet under a growing burden of credit card and student loan debt, working crazy hours at her dream job but still not earning enough to provide a comfortable financial cushion. At her boss’s suggestion, she makes friends with Henry, the elderly barista at her favorite Brooklyn coffee shop. Henry soon reveals his “Three Secrets to Financial Freedom,” ideas Zoey dismisses at first but whose true power she ultimately comes to appreciate. Over the course of a single week, Zoey discovers that she already earns enough to secure her financial future and realize her truest dreams—all she has to do is make a few easy shifts in her everyday routine. The Latte Factor demystifies the secrets to achieving financial freedom, inspiring you to realize that it’s never too late to reach for your dreams. By following the simple, proven path that Henry shows Zoey, anyone can make small changes today that will have big impact for a lifetime, proving once again that “David Bach is the financial expert to listen to when you’re intimidated by your finances” (Tony Robbins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Money: Master the Game).

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Recommended by Ken Blanchard

Want to learn how to get the most out of your time? Take time to read Master Your Time, Master Your Life. You’ll be glad you did! (from Amazon)

Discover 10 Essential Ways to Make the Most of Your Time “Time is money,” as the saying goes, but most of us never feel we have enough of either. In Master Your Time, Master Your Life, internationally acclaimed productivity expert and bestselling author Brian Tracy presents a brilliant new approach to time management that will help you gain control of your time and accomplish far more, faster and more easily than you ever thought possible. Drawing on the latest research in productivity science and Tracy’s decades of expertise, this breakthrough program allocates time into ten categories of priority—including strategic planning/goal setting, people and family, income improvement, rest/relaxation, and even creative time—and reveals the best techniques for focusing on each effectively. By thoughtfully applying the principles in Master Your Time, Master Your Life, you’ll not only achieve greater results and reach your goals more quickly and successfully, you’ll alsohave more time to devote to what you truly love.

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Recommended by Ken Blanchard

I’m blown away by The Happiness Equation. Neil's nine secrets will improve how you think, how you feel, and how you act! (from Amazon)

The #1 international bestseller from the author of The Book of Awesome that “reveals how all of us can live happier lives” (Gretchen Rubin). What is the formula for a happy life? Neil Pasricha is a Harvard MBA, a New York Times–bestselling author, a Walmart executive, a father, a husband. After selling more than a million copies of the Book of Awesome series, wherein he observed the everyday things he thought were awesome, he now shifts his focus to the practicalities of living an awesome life. In his new book The Happiness Equation, Pasricha illustrates how to want nothing and do anything in order to have everything. If that sounds like a contradiction in terms, you simply have yet to unlock the 9 Secrets to Happiness. Each secret takes a piece out of the core of common sense, turns it on its head to present it in a completely new light, and then provides practical and specific guidelines for how to apply this new outlook to lead a fulfilling life. Once you've unlocked Pasricha’s 9 Secrets, you will understand counter intuitive concepts such as: Success Does Not Lead to Happiness, Never Take Advice, and Retirement Is a Broken Theory. You will learn and then master three brand-new fundamental life tests: the Saturday Morning Test, The Bench Test, and the Five People Test. You will know the difference between external goals and internal goals and how to make more money than a Harvard MBA (hint: it has nothing to do with your annual salary). You will discover that true wealth has nothing to do with money, multitasking is a myth, and the elimination of options leads to more choice. The Happiness Equation is a book that will change how you think about pretty much everything—your time, your career, your relationships, your family, and, ultimately, of course, your happiness.

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Recommended by Ken Blanchard

The Score Takes Care of Itself is not about football. It's about how to treat people right. How to get the best out of the people around you. How to be a highly effective leader. I am thankful that this book about Bill Walsh's leadership point of view is now available to inspire countless leaders to come. (from Amazon)

The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership book cover

by Bill Walsh, Steve Jamison, Craig Walsh·You?

The last lecture on leadership by the NFL's greatest coach: Bill Walsh Bill Walsh is a towering figure in the history of the NFL. His advanced leadership transformed the San Francisco 49ers from the worst franchise in sports to a legendary dynasty. In the process, he changed the way football is played. Prior to his death, Walsh granted a series of exclusive interviews to bestselling author Steve Jamison. These became his ultimate lecture on leadership. Additional insights and perspective are provided by Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana and others. Bill Walsh taught that the requirements of successful leadership are the same whether you run an NFL franchise, a fortune 500 company, or a hardware store with 12 employees. These final words of 'wisdom by Walsh' will inspire, inform, and enlighten leaders in all professions.

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Recommended by Ken Blanchard

After reading Ken Druck's fabulous new book, we're buying copies for our adult children and grandkids inscribed with the words, ...because we love you with all our hearts. (from Amazon)

Become a Stronger, Kinder, More Compassionate Family Raising an Aging Parentis a guidebook for families to strengthen the bonds between adult children and their aging parents, forge collaborative relationships between siblings, balance care-giving with self-care, and establish a new norm for the second half of life that promotes individual, family, community and generational integrity. In Raising an Aging Parent, readers will learn: How to support/help aging parents as they face the changes, challenges and opportunities of getting olderWhat your parents would tell you, if only they couldHow to diffuse sibling rivalries and promote open communication Dos and don ts of making tough calls and difficult decisionsWhat to do when aging parents resist changeThe Six Honorings for moving forward after a parent diesSteps for leaving a Legacy of Love Ken Druck defines the playing field of daunting challenges and fertile opportunities that exist between aging parents and their adult children. Readers will create a Master Plan for self-care while caring for a parent in decline.

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Recommended by Ken Blanchard

Have you ever wondered why some people seem to catch all the breaks and win over and over again? What do the super successful know? What is standing between you and your wildest dreams? The Book of Mistakes will take you on an inspiring journey, following an ancient manuscript with powerful lessons that will transform your life. You'll meet David, a young man who with each passing day is more disheartened and stressed. Despite a decent job, apartment, and friends, he just feels hollow . . . until one day he meets a mysterious young woman and everything starts to change. In this self-help tale wrapped in fiction, you'll learn the nine mistakes that prevent many from achieving their goals. You'll learn how to overcome these hurdles and reinvent your life. This success parable is packed with wisdom that will help you discover and follow your personal purpose, push beyond your perceived capabilities, and achieve more than you ever dreamed possible. You'll find yourself returning again and again to a deceptively simple story that teaches actionable insights and enduring truths.

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Recommended by Ken Blanchard

Bestselling author and world-renowned executive coach Marshall Goldsmith examines the environmental and psychological triggers that can derail us at work and in life. Do you ever find that you are not the patient, compassionate problem solver you believe yourself to be? Are you surprised at how irritated or flustered the normally unflappable you becomes in the presence of a specific colleague at work? Have you ever felt your temper accelerate from zero to sixty when another driver cuts you off in traffic? Our reactions don’t occur in a vacuum. They are usually the result of unappreciated triggers in our environment—the people and situations that lure us into behaving in a manner diametrically opposed to the colleague, partner, parent, or friend we imagine ourselves to be. These triggers are constant and relentless and omnipresent. So often the environment seems to be outside our control. Even if that is true, as Goldsmith points out, we have a choice in how we respond. In Triggers, his most powerful and insightful book yet, Goldsmith shows how we can overcome the trigger points in our lives, and enact meaningful and lasting change. Goldsmith offers a simple “magic bullet” solution in the form of daily self-monitoring, hinging around what he calls “active” questions. These are questions that measure our effort, not our results. There’s a difference between achieving and trying; we can’t always achieve a desired result, but anyone can try. In the course of Triggers, Goldsmith details the six “engaging questions” that can help us take responsibility for our efforts to improve and help us recognize when we fall short. Filled with revealing and illuminating stories from his work with some of the most successful chief executives and power brokers in the business world, Goldsmith offers a personal playbook on how to achieve change in our lives, make it stick, and become the person we want to be.

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Recommended by Ken Blanchard

Power of Positive Thinking book cover

by Norman Vincent Peale·You?

'you do not need to be defeated by anything, ... you can have peace of mind, improved health, and a never-ceasing flow of energy.'The Power of Positive Thinking is a practical, direct-action application of spiritual techniques to overcome defeat and win confidence, success and joy. Norman Vincent Peale, the father of positive thinking and one of the most widely read inspirational writers of all time, shares his famous formula of faith and optimism which he developed himself by trial and error whilst searching for a way of life.Millions of people have taken Peale's teachings as their own simple and effective philosophy of living. His gentle guidance helps to eliminate defeatist attitudes, to know the power you possess and to make the best of your life.

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Recommended by Ken Blanchard

The latest edition of the gold-standard guide for leadership development In the new seventh edition of The Leadership Challenge: How to Make Extraordinary Things Happen in Organizations, best-selling leadership authors and business scholars James Kouzes and Barry Posner deliver an essential strategic playbook for effective leadership. The book’s actionable advice is grounded in robust research and deep insights into the complex interpersonal dynamics of the workplace. Premier authorities in the field, the authors frame leadership as both a skill to be learned and as a relationship to be nurtured. They demonstrate how to achieve extraordinary results in the face of contemporary business challenges with engaging stories, current case studies, and straightforward frameworks for those who seek continuous, incremental improvement. The book also offers: Incisive commentary on the shift toward team-oriented and hybrid work relationshipsKey insights into how to break through a new and pervasive level of cynicism amongst the modern workforceStrategies for leveraging the electronic global village to deliver better results within your team, in your department, and across your organization Perfect for every practicing and aspiring leader who wants to stay current, relevant, and effective in a rapidly evolving business environment, The Leadership Challenge will help you remain impactful and capable of inspiring and motivating your constituents at every level.

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Recommended by Ken Blanchard

Built To Last, the defining management study of the nineties, showed how great companies triumph over time and how long-term sustained performance can be engineered into the DNA of an enterprise from the very beginning. But what about companies that are not born with great DNA? How can good companies, mediocre companies, even bad companies achieve enduring greatness? Are there those that convert long-term mediocrity or worse into long-term superiority? If so, what are the distinguishing characteristics that cause a company to go from good to great? Over five years, Jim Collins and his research team have analyzed the histories of 28 companies, discovering why some companies make the leap and others don't. The findings include: Level 5 Leadership: A surprising style, required for greatness.The Hedgehog Concept: Finding your three circles, to transcend the curse of competence.A Culture of Discipline: The alchemy of great results.Technology Accelerators: How good-to-great companies think differently about technology.The Flywheel and the Doom Loop: Why those who do frequent restructuring fail to make the leap.