Book Review: Whale Done!

Whale Done! : The Power of Positive Relationships by Kenneth H. Blanchard

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I like how-to books, especially when they are fun little fables. Blanchard and his coauthors wrote a  story that can be read in an hour, but the lessons are likely to last a lifetime. 

Any manager or supervisor (or teacher or parent) who seeks to promote new behaviors in others, or train people how to do a task well, can apply the Whale Done! method.  In a nutshell, rather than getting after someone for doing something wrong, praise them for what they do right.  If they are learning a new skill, give an "Atta Girl" for their progress. It is so much easier for people to understand what you DO want than to continuously find themselves in trouble for doing what you didn't want. 

There's a reason we all know what "positive reinforcement" means.  The phrase entered the lexicon because it works.  And remember, if you make a commitment to changing your management style to include more "Whale Done!" moments with your team, and you slip up a time or two... that's OK!  Praise yourself for the progress you've made and keep trying!  The system will work, even on ourselves.

It only takes half a page to summarize this book... so I embedded my summary into a single document with summaries of three other fable-style books.  Click here to download it now.



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