Meet Ken Blanchard
If you have worked in corporate America in the last 50 years, you may have come across the name of Ken Blanchard. His work on leadership permeates management training. I first came across him when I worked at Hewlett Packard and took a two-day class called, Situational Leadership. A short time later, The One Minute Manager was everywhere in training circles.
In March I had the good fortune to interview Ken at an annual meeting of the Instructional Systems Association in Arizona.
Choice quotes from our interview:
From his mother: “God didn’t make any junk. There’s a pearl of goodness in every human being. Dig for it.”
“I’m a follower of Jesus, but not a Christian.”
“People should stop arguing about their faith.”
He asked about my faith. When I said I was an atheist, he responded with a glint in his eye, “Well if you are right, I’m OK. But if I’m right, you are in a world of trouble.” We both laughed.
“My faculty said I should use analogies. So in my next paper, I said, ‘It went over like a pregnant pole vaulter,’ and they said, ‘Don’t be facetious.’ I had to look up what facetious meant.”
Without further ado, here’s Ken…
Iron Workers or Wood Workers?
For the past 15 years or so, downtown Redwood City has been a flurry of building activity. Entire blocks are demolished overnight. A few weeks later, a huge steel structure takes shape before our eyes. I’m getting used to it. But something new is happening.
A few weeks ago, I was shocked to see one of these high-rises going up – not of steel, but of wood. Stunningly beautiful, actually.
I asked one of the construction workers what was happening. He explained this laminated wood is stronger than steel and has some environmental advantages as well. In addition, it is made in Oregon. I’d guess, also cheaper than importing steel ‘I’ beams from China.
Keep an eye out. Bet we will see more of this beautiful wood used in major building sites.
More info:
https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2020/1/15/21058051/climate-change-building-materials-mass-timber-cross-laminated-clt
I like Ken Blanchard – not so much for the One Minute Manager – but for the training, and organization development resources that he turned out under University Associates. BTW, you did a nice interview with him.
Finally had a chance to listen to this. Thanks for doing it. Wise man, and I am somewhat relieved that I share a lot of the same concepts about leadership in the coaching I do. It really is not that hard — yet so many leaders make it so hard for themselves!