Today's Reading
FOREWORD
Everything rises and falls on leadership! That's why I've been a student, a practitioner, and an advocate of leadership for more than fifty years. That's also why I'm excited to reintroduce this fourth edition of The Secret: What Great Leaders Know and Do.
Why a fourth edition? There are three important reasons. First, this book has struck a chord in a world hungry for effective ideas on the crucial topic of leadership. Since its initial publication in 2004, The Secret has been translated into over thirty languages, has sold 700,000 copies, and continues to inspire leaders around the globe. The typical nonfiction book sells fewer than 3,000 copies in its lifetime. The popularity of this book demands that it stay in print for the next generation of leaders.
The second reason for a new edition is that although the truths in this book are timeless, Ken and Mark wanted to elaborate on the importance of a leader's heart. The new content you're about to read may well be the key you've been searching for to unlock your leadership potential.
Finally, in addition to the success of the previous editions and this crucial new content, they have added two new resources: an expanded Study Guide and a robust self-assessment. These tools increase the book's value to you by making it not just something to read, but something to use.
I wasn't surprised that The Secret became an international bestseller, especially considering its authors.
Ken has been thinking and writing about leadership for six decades. Just look at this list of titles: The One Minute Manager(TM), Leadership and the One Minute Manager, Gung Ho!, Leading at a Higher Level, Raving Fans, Whale Done!...the list could go on and on. I'm sure you've heard of many of these books, and I hope you've read some of them as well. Ken has sold more than twenty-five million books—and counting. He is one of very few authors in history to have had four titles on the Business Week bestseller list at one time. Ken has helped to shape the way the world leads.
Mark has taken a different path. For almost forty-five years, he was part of the leadership team at one of America's great organizations—Chick-fil-A, Inc., based in Atlanta, Georgia. Chick-fil-A is a quick-service restaurant company with more than 3,000 locations and sales approaching $30 billion annually. When Mark left "the Chicken"—as he often refers to the organization—he was serving as Vice President for High Performance Leadership. The Secret is no secret at Chick-fil-A: It is at the heart of their success. Over the years, Mark's influence has grown around the world. His thirteen books have been translated into more than thirty languages.
My challenge to you is simple: Learn The Secret—then apply The Secret.
If you do, your leadership and your life will be transformed forever.
—John C. Maxwell,
New York Times bestselling author of
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership
THE OPPORTUNITY
How can leadership be this hard? One year ago today was the happiest day of my life. I had arrived! Only four years out of college, my company had moved me into a leadership position: director of corporate client services for the southeast sales region. I knew I could handle the job, because I'd started from our catalog call center, fielding customer requests and complaints. Then I was promoted to project manager, working closely with sales and our corporate clients. Whatever the salespeople promised our customers, I delivered. And if I do say so myself, I was good at getting our corporate clients what they needed, when and where they needed it. I got all kinds of kudos for developing outstanding relationships with clients. I was sure I could make my staff do the same.
A year ago, I was on top of the world. Today, I'm holding on for dear life and might lose my job. What happened? What went wrong?
With those thoughts, Debbie Brewster pulled into the parking lot at the public library. She knew she could never have an uninterrupted afternoon in the office. Besides, her boss had always encouraged her to take some time every month to step back and Assess what had happened, Affirm what was working, and make Adjustments as needed. She had always been too busy to actually try it, but today was different. Drastic times demand drastic measures.
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