Superhuman Performer Ken Blanchard
Called to Serve, Not Be Served Ken Blanchard: Helping ordinary people achieve extraordinary results …the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. Luke 22:26 (NIV) Name: Ken Blanchard Position: Cofounder and Chief Spiritual Officer Company: The Ken Blanchard Companies Spiritual Gifts: Teacher & Writer Ken Blanchard stood on the steps of the chapel and watched peace protesters picket his employer. The growing number of students demanding an end to the Vietnam war spilled over the lawns of the campus, threatening to disrupt Ken’s world in ways he couldn’t imagine. Ken wasn’t sure what to make of the student sit-ins and the undercurrent of social chaos percolating in the hallways outside his classroom, but he knew this: his Methodist pastor was in the middle of the mess, lending his voice to those who thought the war was wrong. Then it happened. National Guardsmen killed four students just a few hours up the road at Kent State University. Shortly thereafter, Ken’s church fired its
pastor, not over doctrinal differences, but political. Walking away from the chapel, Ken thought, If this is what Christianity is all about, you can have it. “You know, after they fired our pastor, Margie and I turned our backs on the church because we had seen so much bad behavior. And we never got back to it until the One Minute Manager came out. That book was so ridiculously successful that I had trouble taking credit for it. People would ask me, ‘Blanchard, why do you think this book took off like it did,’ and I said, ‘I think God was involved somewhere.’” Long before the One Minute Manager changed him from a college professor to international best-seller, Ken struggled to find success. “My first job at Ohio University was actually as an Assistant to the Dean of the College of Business. I arrived in the mid ‘60s in the middle of all the student protests about the Vietnam War. I’d taken a job as an administrator because, in grad school my professors told me I couldn’t write. In fact, I took the College Boards four times before finally getting a 502 in English. But, when I arrived on campus, the dean asked me to teach a course. I’d never thought about teaching at the university level because I’d heard that if you wanted to teach, you had to first be published and, based on what others had said, I was a lousy writer. ‘Sure, I’ll teach,’ I told the dean.”
“Now, I’d taken enough bad courses to know I wasn’t about to teach one, so I really prepared. About two weeks into the course, I came home and told Margie, ‘This teaching thing is really fun. This is what I ought to be doing.’” She said, “Yeah? What about that publishing problem?” “For a manager to be perceived as a positive manager, they need a four-to-one positive-tonegative contact ratio.” Kenneth Blanchard
“I don't know,” I told her. “Guess we’ll just trust that God’ll take care of it somehow.” “Some months later I went to Paul Hersey and asked if I could sit in on his course. He
“In the past, a leader was a boss. Today's leaders must be partners with their people... they no longer can lead solely based on positional power.” Kenneth Blanchard
was chairman of the department and told me nobody audited his course, but I was welcomed to take his course for credit. Then he walked away. I thought, That’s interesting. Here I have a doctorate degree and he doesn’t,
and he’s telling me I’d have to take his course like some undergrad. “Too many leaders act as I went home and told my wife and she said, “Is he any good?” if the sheep... their people... are there for the benefit of the shepherd, “He’s supposed to be great,” I told her. not that the shepherd has responsibility for the sheep.” Kenneth Blanchard
“Then get your ego out of the way and take his course.” “Next day I signed up for his class. The registrar didn’t know what to do with me because I already had a doctorate. But I did the work and wrote all the papers. June of that year Paul comes into my office and says, ‘Ken, I've been teaching leadership for 10 years. I think I'm better at teaching this than anybody, but now they want me to write a textbook and I can’t write. I'm a nervous wreck. I need a good writer… like you. Would you write a textbook for me?’” “I said, ‘That’s odd. You can’t write and I’m not supposed to. We ought to make a great team. Let’s do it!’ We wrote a textbook called Management of Organizational Behavior Utilizing Human Resources. It just came out in its 10th edition and sells better today than it did in ‘69.” Fast forward a few years and Ken’s book, the One Minute Manager, hits the bestseller list, proving that God can use ordinary men with a noble heart and limited skills to perform at extraordinary levels. “When I was writing the One Minute Manager, I knew my mother was praying for the book, and me, when it had such incredible success. As soon as I made the connection that God
was involved with the book, the Lord started sending all kinds of people into my life. Right after that I got a call from our publisher, asking if I’d write a book with Norman Vincent Peale.” Suiting Up “I wasn’t even sure he was still alive. I mean, my parents had gone to his church years before I was even born. Turns out he was not only alive, but doing fabulous. Norman and his wife, Ruth, took Margie and me under their wings. They didn't pressure us at all. They’d just say, ‘You know, Ken. The Lord’s always had His eye you. You’ve always been on His team. You just haven't suited up yet.’ So, suiting up became our rallying cry.” A short time later, God brought Bob Buford into Ken’s life, the author of Halftime, who said, “Ken’s a great businessman with keen insights who asks really probing questions.” “Next, I was introduced to Bill Hybels from Willow Creek and I began thinking, I guess the Lord really does want me to be writing. I mean, he keeps sending all these highpowered people into my life for a purpose.” Ken’s calling as a writer and teacher forced him to look at the attributes of what makes a great leader and ultimately, his search lead him back to the consummate leader: Christ.
“Undoubtedly, he's the greatest leadership role model of all time. Look what he did with these 12 incompetent guys he hired. No one would have hired that group. But what’s amazing is that all these concepts I developed over the years were really ones that were given to me by the Good Lord. I mean, he knew me before I was born and so He figured the world was in desperate need of a different leadership role model. When I realized that everything I’d ever taught or written about leadership was summed up in Jesus, I just laughed.” The Consummate Leader So, what is the consummate leader? How would Ken coach others struggling to lead and achieve success? Here are his three tips for utilizing your gifts to perform at extraordinary levels. Hope “Leaders help ordinary people achieve extraordinary results so, to be an effective leader, you need to do three things. First, you need to be a bearer of hope. Leaders project confidence. Jesus said over 300 times ‘fear not’ and the reason He told us not to be afraid is because he also added, ‘I am with you.’ Don't quack like a duck; soar like an eagle. People who produce good results feel good about themselves. Don’t wait until people do
things exactly right before you praise them. Great leaders are hopeful.” Trust “Second, you need to trust your team. Feedback is the breakfast of champions. You need to treat your employees as if they’re your business partners and share with them everything that's happening. They know where you can increase revenue. They know where you can cut costs. You don't know. Trust implies risk. The fastest way to drive an employee insane is to give him or her new responsibilities and fail to provide the necessary instruction and training to do the job. Jesus spent three years preparing this ragtag group of disciples to be his business partners. He shared everything with them, even the difficult aspects of His death. And then He left them in charge of His work. As a leader, the important thing is not what happens when you are there, but what happens when you are not there. Catch people doing things right. Great leaders are hopeful and trusting.” Serve “Finally, you need to be a servant leader. The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority. The biggest problem with business leaders today is that they think leadership is all about them. They let their ego get in the way. Leadership is not
something you do to people. It’s something you do with people. Again, look to Jesus as the model of a great leader. He was determined. He knew he was going to Calvary and He kept his eyes on the goal. But, He was also willing to stop and serve others. He allowed people to interrupt his life. Every king and queen in history sent others to die for them. I only know one king that died for his people. That's humility. Great leaders are hopeful, trusting and humble.” “We see what self-serving leaders have done in the business community, churches, and government. We desperately need servant leaders, people who are there to give, not get. To serve, not be served. Humility does not mean you think less of yourself. It means you think of yourself less.”
The gift of Teacher – Speaking Gift: Those with the gift of teaching, work in partnership with the Holy Spirit, revealing God’s truth and instructing others on how to apply His principles in their lives. Like Christ, they carry the mantle of authority when led by God’s Spirit. They have a knack for making the seemingly complex easy to understand. Again, in the example of Christ, a teacher will often use stories to communicate a key point and illustrate the wisdom of God’s truth.
People with this gift: ·
Find enjoyment in reading, research, exploration and studying.
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Gain insight from meditating on Scripture.
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Feel inspired when others grasp the truths they’re teaching.
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Enjoy speaking to various groups of all sizes and demonstrate patience.
“He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.” Acts 18:26 (NIV) “For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.” 1 Timothy 2:7 (English Standard Version) “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” Colossians 1:28 (English Standard Version) “Teach the older men to exercise self-control, to be worthy of respect, and to live wisely. They must have sound faith and be filled with love and patience. Similarly, teach the older women to live in a way that honors God. They must not slander others or be heavy drinkers. Instead, they should teach others what is good. These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children.” Titus 2:2-4 (New Living Translation) “Teach these things and tell everyone to do what you say.” 1 Timothy 4:11 (Contemporary English Version)
Ken Blanchard is one of the most influential leadership experts in the world and is respected for his years of groundbreaking work in the fields of leadership and management. He is cofounder and Chief Spiritual Officer of The Ken Blanchard Companies速, an international management training and consulting firm that he and his wife, Margie Blanchard, began in 1979 in San Diego, California. Starting with his phenomenal best-selling book, The One Minute Manager速, coauthored with Spencer Johnson, which has sold more than 13 million copies, Ken remains a prolific writer of best-selling books like, Raving Fans速, Gung Ho 速, and Whale Done!. His books have a combined sales of more than 18 million copies in more than 25 languages. www.kenblanchard.com