Ken Blanchard Quotations

The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.

I never use notes, they interfere with me.

None of us is as smart as all of us.

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.

Don't quack like a duck, soar like an eagle.

Too many leaders act as if the sheep... their people... are there for the benefit of the shepherd, not that the shepherd has responsibility for the sheep.

The productivity of a work group seems to depend on how the group members see their own goals in relation to the goals of the organization.

I absolutely believe in the power of tithing and giving back. My own experience about all the blessings I've had in my life is that the more I give away, the more that comes back. That is the way life works, and that is the way energy works.

People who produce good results feel good about themselves.

For a manager to be perceived as a positive manager, they need a four to one positive to negative contact ratio.

Our 'franchises' never talk to each other. They compete with each other and criticize each other. We've got to stop this ridiculous fighting over rituals and regulations.

The best way to teach people is by telling a story.

The world is less certain and predictable now. When there's uncertainty, people raise spiritual issues.

I once heard profit is the applause you get for taking care of customers and your people,

As a leader, the most important earthly relationship you can cultivate is your relationship with yourself.

It never hurts to toot your own horn once in a while.

Catch people in the act of doing something right.

If you don't toot your own horn, someone else will use it as a spittoon.

Purpose can never be about achievement; it is much bigger.

Spouses often point out each other's deficiencies. Instead, we should be each other's motivator. My husband touches my spirit, and I try my best to motivate him, too.

Good thoughts not delivered mean squat.

Anything worth doing does not have to be done perfectly - at first.

Successful organizations have one common central focus: Customers.

A river without banks is a large puddle.

When you're committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.

Purpose has to do with one's calling - deciding what business you are in as a person.

As a servant leader the way you serve the vision is by developing people so that they can work on that vision even when you're not around. The ultimate sin of an effective servant leader is what happens when you are not there. That was the power of Jesus' leadership-the leaders He trained went on to change the world when He was no longer with them in bodily form.

[Marriage is] like signing a 356-page contract without knowing what's in it.

The cure for too much to do is solitude and silence.

Consistency isn't behaving the same way all the time.

Positive thinkers get positive results because they are not afraid of problems.

Have I done what is really important today?

How many of you would put in front of your house a sign that says gun-free zone?

Take what you do seriously, but yourself lightly

The most important habit is solitude, quiet time. People who enter their day by taking 45 minutes or an hour for themselves - meditation, prayer, inspirational reading, taking a walk - before they go for it in the real world do best.

Unexpressed good thoughts aren't worth squat!

I grew up in New England. I think I was brought up with the Puritan ethic: that if you worked really hard in life, then good would come to you. The harder you work, the luckier you get. I've come to believe that it's the smarter you work, the better.

Things not worth doing are not worth doing well.

In fact, .. Jesus is mentioned 75 times in the Koran.

Perpetual prosperity comes to those who help others.

Everyday do something in relation to everything that's important to you.

As a leader you provide for people only what they can't provide for themselves.

Your mind and a computer have one thing in common: neither of them know the difference between the truth... and what you tell it.

Help People Reach Their Full Potential Catch Them Doing Something Right

I cannot say Who Art in Heaven-If all my interests and pursuits are in earthly things.

Your business should be defined, not in terms of the product or service you offer, but in terms of what customer need your product or service fulfills. While products come and go, basic needs and customer groups stay around, i.e., the need for communication, the need for transportation, etc. What market need do you supply?

If we want people on the front lines of companies to be responsible for making good business decisions, they must have the same information that managers use to make good business decisions.

Customer service should not be a department, customer service is everyone's job.

Take yourself seriously but take yourself lightly.

It's really hard to be a servant leader because we come into this world as a baby in a self-survival mode. Life is a journey toward service.

Whether you like it or not, you will leave a leadership legacy.

Nice guys may appear to finish last, but usually they are running a different race.

Present thinking people kill the future.

Leadership is about going somewhere. If you and your people don’t know where you are going, your leadership doesn’t matter.

All leaders are permanent learners.

Your game is only as good as your practice.

Trying is just a noisy way of not doing something.

Catch someone doing something right.

No one can make you serve customers well. That's because great service is a choice.

Vision is a lot more than putting a plaque on the wall. A real vision is lived, not framed.

Life is special when you reach out beyond yourself to be a true servant leader for others.

Beware of putting all your focus into results. While results are important, your people should be your number one area of focus.

Asking for other's guidance helps you see what you may not be able to see. It's always important to check your ego and ask for help.

Don't wait until people do things exactly right before you praise them.

Most companies spend all their time looking for another management concept and very little time following up the one they have just taught their managers.

When you touch - don't take. Touch people only when you are giving something - reassurance, support, encouragement, whatever

The Hoffman Process brings forth spiritual leadership in a person. It made my spirituality come alive. Through the Hoffman Process I actually brought my faith into my daily actions.

Customer service is not a department, it's everyone's job.

Business is like tennis. Those who serve well win.

To ensure that your work is also a play, I recommend that you develop a personal mission statement. This will help you find what it is to enjoy so much that you lose track of time when you're doing it.

Your customers are only satisfied because their expectations are so low and because no one else is doing better. Just having satisfied customers isn't good enough anymore. If you really want a booming business, you have to create Raving Fans.

Real communication happens when people feel safe.

A little flattery makes people feel good about themselves. When you notice someone looking great, give them a compliment.

Do your best to succeed and push the limits without violating them.

The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves." Ray Kroc "If some of today's leaders don't relearn the value of a smile, they'll be unable to fire up others' ability to find real enjoyment in their work.

Congratulations offer more potential than cash. The amount of available cash is limited, but managers have an unlimited supply of congratulations. It's important to pay people fairly, but managers also should heap on congratulations and feed people's souls.

When you stop learning you stop growing.

We can't control everything in life, that's for sure, but we can reach out to the people we love to tell them we love and care about them.

You have the power to help people become winners.

We are not just our behavior. We are the person managing our behavior.

People with humility don't think less of themselves, they just think of themselves less.

The best way to develop responsibility in people is to give them responsibility.

Leadership is anytime you seek to influence the thinking, behavior, or development of others.

Catching people doing things right is a powerful management concept.

What we give our attention to, grows.

Connect the dots between individual roles and the goals of the organization. When people see that connection, they get a lot of energy out of work. They feel the importance, dignity, and meaning in their job.

If you don't seek perfection, you can never reach excellence.

Leadership is not something you do to people. It's something you do with people.

A problem only exists if there is a difference between what is actually happening and what you desire to be happening.

All good performance starts with clear goals.

People who feel good about themselves produce good results.

Honesty is telling the truth to ourselves and others. Integrity is living that truth.

Knowing where you are going is the first step to getting there.

Too many leaders act as if the sheep.. their people.. are there for the benefit of the shepherd, not that the shepherd has responsibility for the sheep.

Feedback is the breakfast of champions.

Many people measure their success by wealth, recognition, power and status. There's nothing wrong with those, but if that's all you're focused on, you're missing the boat...if you focus on significance -using your time and talent to serve others -that's when truly meaningful success can come your way.

Your role as a leader is even more important than you might imagine. You have the power to help people become winners.

If you want to know why your people are not performing well, step up to the mirror and take a peek.

The only job security you have today os your commitment to continuous personal improvement.

People don't mind being challenged to do better if they know the request is coming from a caring heart