Issue No. 506 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting suggests a book by Ken Blanchard with a do-over option for your unfulfilled January fitness goals. And this reminder: click here to download free resources from the 20 management buckets (core competencies), click here for over 500 book reviews, and click here an excellent companion book to this issue’s topic, How to Begin: Start Doing Something That Matters.
“Would you rather exercise for 1 hour a day or be dead for 24 hours a day?”
When Ken Blanchard’s son noticed that his dad was “gimping around and looking a lot like Quasimodo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” Scott admonished him:
“Dad, I’ve heard you kid around and say to mom that when a tour bus unloads passengers at a hotel in Hawaii, 35 women will get off the bus and only 5 men, because the rest of the guys are dead.”
So…Ken Blanchard, bestselling author and management guru, knew it was time to adopt a healthier lifestyle—so he’d be one of those 5 men on the bus!
Fit at Last: Look and Feel Better Once and for All chronicles Blanchard’s three-year “Fit at Last” journey from 2010 to 2013—with the savvy help of his co-author, Tim Kearin, a fitness coach and former director of strength training and conditioning at the United States Military Academy.
Perhaps…your New Year’s Resolutions commitments (remember those?) are a dim memory and your scale is barking back at you this February? You’re not alone! Ken Blanchard (now 82) confesses to a history of failed commitments—and this is NOT his first book on getting fit.
Back in 1986, Blanchard and his wife, Marjorie, wrote The One Minute Manager Gets Fit, along with co-author D. W. Edington. Just 128 pages in the classic one minute manager story format, that book covered fitness basics including a dozen healthy lifestyle habits such as 1) “I love my job (most of the time),” and 4) I know three methods to reduce stress that do not include the use of drugs or alcohol.”
Perhaps…you can identify with Blanchard. In fact, Fit at Last (2014) is stunningly transparent. Writing about his good intentions—yet soft on long-term commitment—Blanchard even anticipated your push-back!
“Come on, Blanchard. I’m sick of hearing about this yo-yo weight and exercise thing with you. You write about motivation, you speak about motivation, and you even wrote a book about fitness. Why couldn’t you keep your commitment to your commitment and keep on going with your fitness journey?”
You probably already guessed—I also needed a February pep talk. Hence…this book. While I’ve been working with a personal trainer for five months (amazingly helpful), I’m ready to move from short-term goals to a long-term healthy lifestyle. (And at my age, “long-term” may be subject to discussion.)
Fit at Last surprised me. The book is innovative and inspiring and the approach can be customized to your individual needs. Here are four elements that will capture your attention (and maybe your commitment):
#1. DO OR DIE? “Would you rather exercise for 1 hour a day or be dead for 24 hours a day?” That’s from page 23 about the importance of having three reasons or purposes to help you keep your commitment to your commitment:
• A health-driven purpose.
• A cause-driven purpose.
• A personally-driven purpose (the most difficult).
#2. MEMORABLE COMMENTARY. Each chapter includes a “Ken” commentary followed by a “Tim” commentary. Both are truth-tellers! Tim Kearin had worked with Blanchard numerous times before—but was unsuccessful at inspiring Blanchard to keep the faith year-round. “Ken and I had been down this road many times before. In years past, on or about Groundhog Day, I would get ‘that call’ from Ken.” But this time, Ken called Tim in November 2010—not in February! The back-and-forth format makes for lively and entertaining reading—just 126 pages, plus three back-of-the-book resource sections (about 50 pages), including:
• Pearls of Wisdom from five experts
• Understanding Exercise and Fitness: Tim’s Toolbox
• Developing Your Own Fitness Program
#3. SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP® II MODEL. After reading The One Minute Manager, or The New One Minute Manager, you likely also read Leadership and the One Minute Manager: Increasing Effectiveness Through Situational Leadership®.
Fit at Last is brilliant! Blanchard and Kearin discuss Ken’s fitness journey using the four Development Levels from Situational Leadership. Where are you?
• D1—Enthusiastic Beginner: Low competence, high commitment
• D2—Disillusioned Learner: Low to some competence, low commitment
• D3—Capable but Cautious Performer: Moderate to high competence, variable commitment
• D4—Self-Reliant Achiever: High competence, high commitment
Next…what leadership style (help) will you need to succeed—long-term? Once you set SMART goals (their acronym: Specific, Motivating, Attainable, Relevant, and Trackable), you can discern the help you need along the S1 to S4 continuum: Directing, Coaching, Supporting, and Delegating.
Applying this leadership/management approach to fitness is…well, brilliant. It opened my eyes (and body) to assessing where I was in my journey and—most importantly—why.
BONUS! In 2012, Ken Blanchard gave a TedX Talk in San Diego on the three aspects of collaboration (a question he is often asked). While he didn’t talk about fitness, you’ll immediately see how a collaborative approach to fitness will better ensure success. Blanchard notes, “You can’t learn everything by yourself.” Click here to view the TedX Talk—and how to collaborate effectively with different personalities and egos.
View Ken Blanchard’s 16-minute TedX Talk on collaboration. Fascinating!
#4. BEFORE AND AFTER. Honest! The dust cover of the hardback book includes Blanchard’s “Before” and “After” photos! And on page 125 for all the world to see—Kearin spotlights Blanchard’s vital statistics in three columns: Nov. 25, 2010, Nov. 25, 2011, and Nov. 25, 2013. (Email me when you’ve posted your own three-year stats on Facebook!) Example:
• Body weight (Blanchard lost 44.5 pounds!)
• Height (he gained one-half inch!)
• Balance on left foot (2010: 2 seconds; 2013: 120 seconds)
• Waist: navel level (Blanchard dropped from 45 to 40 inches)
Ready to get fit? To order from Amazon, click on the title for Fit at Last: Look and Feel Better Once and for All, by Ken Blanchard and Tim Kearin.
YOUR WEEKLY STAFF MEETING QUESTIONS:
1) Ken Blanchard has written over 65 books and when he celebrated his 70th birthday, he invited all of his co-authors to a special party—celebrating their collaborative work. Name five to 10 collaborators you would invite to your 70th (or 80th!) birthday party.
2) Blanchard and Kearin emphasize the importance of building a strong support system to help you accomplish your fitness SMART goals (friends, colleagues, coaches, etc.). Are you ready to get fit? If so, who is in your support system?
Wisdom from the Budget Bucket! “When you’re in a hole—stop digging!”
Buckets Countdown:
The Budget Bucket (#15) Insights from Mastering the Management Buckets Workbook: Management Tools, Templates and Tips from John Pearson, with commentary by Jason Pearson (2nd Edition, 2018) - Order from Amazon.
The Budget Bucket Core Competency: “We operate with integrity and are accountable for best practices in our financial management. We mentor our team members so they understand the financial implications of our programs. We monitor our progress monthly.”
Over the years, I’ve collected my favorite financial axioms, including:
• “We’re nonprofit—but we didn’t plan it that way.”
• “Nonprofit is a tax designation—not a management philosophy.”
• “When you’re in a hole—stop digging.”
• “You didn’t end the year in the black—if your roof is still leaking.”
Visit the Budget Bucket to view several finance book recommendations, including the 2022 book, Making Numbers Count: The Art and Science of Communicating Numbers, by Chip Heath and Karla Starr. Click here to read my review.
The 20 management buckets are perfect content for the lifelong learning segment in your weekly staff meetings (you do have weekly staff meetings, right?). Visit the 20 buckets webpage here.
JASON PEARSON: UNEXPECTED CREATIVE. Out-of-date or out-of-shape? Do your Design, Digital, Marketing, and Social Media tools need a fitness review?. Contact Pearpod Media.
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