The first edition of The Secret introduced hundreds of thousands of people to a profound yet seemingly contradictory concept: to lead is to serve. In this new edition, co-authors Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller have fine-tuned the storytelling, fleshed out the characters, and focused even more intensely on the idea of servant leadership. They've also added a new section summarizing The Secret's key points that will facilitate the use of the book as a learning and development tool.

In The Secret, Blanchard and Miller use the uniquely accessible "business fable" format that Blanchard pioneered to get at the heart of what makes a leader truly able to inspire and motivate people. Debbie Brewster, recently promoted and struggling, finds herself about to lose her job due to poor performance. In an attempt to save her career, she enrolls in a new mentoring program offered by her company. Much to her surprise, Debbie finds her mentor is none other than Jeff Brown, the president of the company. Debbie decides that she is going to ask her new mentor the one question she feels she desperately needs answered: "What is the secret of great leaders?" Jeff's immediate answer—that great leaders serve their followers—completely flummoxes Debbie. Over the next 18 months, Jeff helps Debbie discover and explore five fundamental ways that leaders lead through service. Along the way, she learns:

   • Why great leaders seem preoccupied with the future

   • Why and how people on "the team" are invariably key ingredients of success or failure

   • What three arenas require continuous improvement

   • Why true success in leadership has two essential components, and

   • How to knowingly strengthen—or unwittingly destroy—leadership credibility.

The Secret puts what Blanchard and Miller have learned about leadership in a form that anyone can easily understand, embrace, and pursue. It is a book that will benefit not only those who read it, but also the organizations they work in and the people who look to them for guidance.

About the Authors

Ken Blanchard is co-founder of The Ken Blanchard Companies, a full-service management consulting and training company in the areas of empowerment, leadership, teamwork, performance management, customer service, quality management, ethics, and visioning. One of the most sought-after speakers to management groups, he is coauthor of 40 books, including The One Minute Manager, the bestselling business book of all time.

Mark Miller is vice president of training and development at Chick-fil-A, a privately owned quick-service restaurant chain with over 1,100 locations and annual sales of $1.5 billion. He has served in several senior leadership positions during his 25-year Chick-fil-A career including restaurant operations, quality & customer satisfaction, and corporate communications. In addition to his work at Chick-fil-A, Mark is a frequent speaker at leadership events around the world.