Skip to main content

The Secret

In this episode - The Secret . . .

This year, we started a podcast series reviewing books that have influenced my life and management style. I want to introduce you to "The Secret: What Great Leaders Know — And Do" by Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller. This book outlines several management principles that are crucial for effective team leadership.

Here's a summary of these principles:

Blanchard & Miller prioritize the well-being and development of their team members through Servant Leadership. A great leader serves their employees and creates a culture of trust, respect, and collaboration. “How do you do it?" can be answered by elaborating on five key objectives.

  • S – See the future
  • E – Engage and Develop Others
  • R – Reinvent Continuously
  • V – Value Results and Relationships
  • E – Embody the Values

 Leadership is an Influence Process: Leadership is not about authority but influence. Effective leaders influence their teams positively by setting a compelling vision and inspiring others to follow.


Vision and Mission: Leaders must have a clear organizational vision and mission. They should communicate this vision to their team, aligning everyone toward common goals.


In "The One Minute Manager," Blanchard introduced the "One Minute Manager" concept. This approach involves providing clear goals and expectations, praising and reprimanding employees quickly and privately, and building strong relationships with team members.


Situational Leadership: Leaders should adapt their leadership style to the specific needs of their team members and the situation at hand. This means being flexible and recognizing when to provide direction, coaching, support, or delegation.


Setting SMART Goals: Leaders should help their team members set (SMART) goals–Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound to ensure clarity and accountability.

  • S – Specific.
  • M – Measurable.
  • A – Achievable.
  • R – Relevant.
  • T – Time-bound.

Leadership Trust Bank: Leaders build trust by making deposits into a "trust bank" through consistent actions, reliability, and integrity. Trust is crucial for effective leadership.


Feedback and Communication: Effective leaders provide regular feedback to their team members, both in terms of praise for good performance and constructive criticism for improvement. They also emphasize open and honest communication.


When asked, “What motivates you at work?” Employees identified seven key factors.

  • My goals were clear.
  • I was well trained.
  • I had the information I needed.
  • My boss had confidence in me.
  • My boss was there when I needed help.
  • I was making a contribution.
  • We were all learning and growing.

Self-Leadership: Leaders must first lead themselves effectively, demonstrating the behaviors and values they expect from their team. Self-awareness and personal growth are essential.


Catch People Doing Things Right: Blanchard encourages leaders to actively look for and acknowledge their team members' positive behaviors and accomplishments. This reinforces desired behaviors.


Empowerment and Delegation: Great leaders empower their team members by delegating authority and responsibility. This fosters a sense of ownership and encourages innovation.


Building a High-Performance Team: Leaders create high-performing teams by selecting the right people, providing clear goals and roles, and fostering a culture of collaboration and accountability.


These management principles from "The Secret" provide a framework for leaders to enhance their leadership skills and create a positive and productive work environment. Blanchard's emphasis on servant leadership and adaptability are central to this philosophy of effective leadership.


My listening friends, this book is available in its 10th Anniversary Edition; click the following link: The Secret: What Great Leaders Know — And Do" by Ken Blanchard & Mark Miller. 


I’m Patrick Ball. Thanks for listening! See you in the next episode.

Comments

Most Popular of All Time

The Birth of a Cubs Legend

In this episode, The 162-Game Exhale — and the Birth of a Cubs Legend There’s a hush in the baseball world on Game 162 — a collective breath drawn in and slowly released. Scoreboards stop flipping. Dugouts empty. For six months, the game has been our steady heartbeat, pulsing from the cherry blossoms of Tokyo in March to the crisp, playoff-charged winds of late September. And now, as the regular season exhales, baseball fans everywhere pause to absorb the story we’ve just lived. For me, that story has been deeply personal. This season unfolded in the rhythms of my daily life. It was the summer soundtrack echoing beneath the constant turmoil of politics and sensational headlines. It was a handful of carefully chosen ballpark pilgrimages stitched together with countless nights in front of MLB.TV. And at the center of it all, for a lifelong Cubs fan like me, it revolved around one name — a young center fielder who turned hope into history: Pete Crow-Armstrong. The 2025 season didn’t begin...

Pushing the Pause Button

In this episode, Pushing the Pause Button: Stepping Off the Treadmill Hello, friends — If you're reading this, I'm already off the grid. Today begins a much-needed vacation, and for the next few weeks, On the Fly is taking a break right along with me. For a long time, my inner voice has said, 'Keep every commitment, no matter what.' That's meant early mornings, long days, and a calendar packed with posts, podcasts, and projects I couldn't seem to say no to. I've been trying to be the tireless workhorse—but that kind of grind doesn't end well. Lately, I've noticed I'm not quite myself—shorter fuse, louder sighs, and a few too many grumbles (Lori deserves a medal). That's when you know it's time to hit pause before the spark burns out. So, I'm stepping back to rest, recharge, and remember what it feels like to not live by the next deadline: no tech, no to-do lists, just some space to breathe. Thank you, truly, for all your support and ...

The Pessimism Aversion Trap

In this episode, The Pessimism Aversion Trap Picture this: a room full of bright minds nodding in agreement as a bold new strategy is unveiled. The slides are polished, the vision is grand, and the future, we're told, has never looked brighter. Everyone beams—because who wants to be the one to say, "Um… this might not work"? Heaven forbid someone spoil the mood with a dose of reality. Better to smile, add a buzzword or two, and march confidently toward disaster. That's how the Pessimism Aversion Trap works. Even now, I can still hear the sound—a high-pitched shriek and a digital hum, followed by the slow, rhythmic clatter of data pouring from a 5¼-inch floppy disk. It was the late 1980s, and my makeshift home office (our living room) was dominated by what felt like a marvel of modern engineering: a used Tandy 1000 PC with not one, but two floppy drives. To top it off, we purchased a 'blisteringly fast' 300-baud modem—which, for the uninitiated, could downloa...

Paris – the End of Silence

✈️  In this special episode: Paris – the End of Silence Sometimes, connection arrives in the most unexpected form—not through grand gestures, but through a quiet voice carried by technology. In a Paris apartment, I finally understood my family’s words . . . and felt my mother’s presence in every sentence. Since I was a little boy, France has been both a beautiful and frustrating paradox in my life. Every six to nine years, my mother, Mauricette, would take my brothers and me back to La Rochelle to visit our French family. The moment we arrived, the air would fill with a sound I loved but couldn’t share in—the rapid-fire, musical rhythm of French. My aunts, uncles, and cousins would warmly sweep me into hugs and kisses, their words flowing like a lovely melody I couldn’t quite catch. I’d smile brightly, trying to communicate with my eyes and hands. But as soon as we stepped off the plane, my mother and her sister-in-law, Joséan, started talking animatedly. They were gone, chatting h...