Helping People Win at Work

We saw in today's discussion board how many of Ken Blanchard's Simple Truths (Blanchard & Ridge, 2009) have shown up in our own experiences. The simple truths that have been exhibited most frequently in our own experience are:

• # 1: Performing well: what makes people feel good about themselves.
• # 3: It all starts with performance planning.
• # 12: Celebrate success.

These are the simple truths identified as most frequently missing from our experience:

• # 2: To help people perform well, an effective performance management system must be established.
• # 6: The ultimate coaching tool: accentuate the positive.
• # 8: Deliver reprimands with caring candor.

Blanchard's simple truths are not revolutionary. In fact, they appear to be pretty common sense, yet it's surprising how often they are missing in our workplaces. Your personal stories illustrated how important each simple truth is. You also illustrated how all of these simple truths work together to create a workplace where people win. Austin provides an excellent example of what can happen when one simple truth is exercised at the expense of another. 

Proper, integrated application of all 12 simple truths is important. This proper application is perhaps best captured in simple truth 11: servant leadership is the only way to go. See Kyle B. and Andrew B.'s posts for helpful observations on servant leadership.

The short video above features Ken and Scott Blanchard introducing situational leadership II, the model discussed in some detail in simple truth 4: the biggest impact on performance comes from day-to-day coaching. You'll want to take a few minutes to watch this. The Blanchards' discussion integrates just about all of the simple truths in today's reading. Can you identify the simple truths and their importance to helping people win at work? You'll also want to check-out Katie and Kyle N.'s posts to see the contrast between two very similar performance management systems, and what happens when effective day-to-day coaching is absent.

The video below is from a lecture ken Blanchard gave at BIOLA University a few years ago. It goes more deeply into his perspective on servant leadership and the positive impact it can have on the organization and its customers. It's an hour long, but worth watching. Ken Blanchard is one of the most significant management writers/consultants of our time.

Reference:

Blanchard, K. & Ridge, G. (2009). Helping people win at work: A business philosophy called, "Don't mark my paper, help me get an A". Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.