Gung Ho! Turn On the People in Any Organization

If I told you that a book about squirrel spirits, beaver best practices and gifts that geese give could transform your company and according to Tom Peters, "...revolutionize any organization which adopts it, and those that don't won't survive.", what would you tell me? After the success of "Raving Fans" Mr. Blanchard and Mr. Bowles returned to their pithy, aphorism-filled well to deliver their readers an amalgamation of religion, Native American spiritualism and a tried and true underdog story. Is it fun reading? Absolutely. Can it inspire and revitalize your company? I seriously doubt it.

"Gung Ho!" is the story of Peggy Sinclair and her efforts to turn around a doomed manufacturing company. Not until Peggy comes across the resident revolutionary in Andy Longclaw does she stand any chance of saving the business and her job. Andy guides Peggy on a quasi-spiritual/management vision quest and not only helps her save the company in the end (and go on to amazing success), but at the same time he and Peggy form an enduring friendship.

What I didn't understand about the book was: (A) the use of animal metaphors - was this a mnemonic device or an attempt at creative storytelling? (B) How any business book could encourage companies to keep all employees "as long as a person was working to their level of ability and not goofing off..." and (C) who the authors were writing for? I spent over 15 years in manufacturing and sales and other than a couple of interesting ideas, this book in my opinion offers no real, actionable material for anyone in the daily grind of making widgets.

And yet, millions of copies later this book continues to be sold and read by managers looking for solutions. I should know, that is why I bought it. I guess if you write a quick, engaging and easily remembered story; have a bestseller to your name already, and get such luminaries as Tony Robbins, Harvey Mackay, Stephen R. Covey and the aforementioned Tom Peters to recommend it, you too can have a business bestseller these days. Is that what business books have become? Save your time and money, go read "Good to Great" again.

Simple stories with powerful messages help us guide our way through the tough patches in life. This book is the narration of such simple stories in natural settings involving squirrels, beavers and geese. It is amazing that we, the most intelligent creatures on earth have so much to learn from such simple creatures.
The book also goes beyond drawing inferences from the moral of the stories. There is also a perfect setting to put them in action - Walton Works # 2, about to be closed down due to low productivity and accumulating losses. This would not be what a thousand and five hundred families who depend on this facility for a living be looking for.
Peggy Sinclair, is brought in from head office as the new General Manager to set things right or probably to preside over the liquidation of Walton Works # 2. Her first impression is that head office was right in its assessment to close down the plant and it is unfortunate that she would be at its helm when it would actually happen. She is assisted by a group of eighteen Divisional Managers whose lack of managerial capability is evident from day one and one of them gets promptly fired. She sees no hope to revive the morale and productivity of a bunch of lethargic and de-motivated team. Then comes our hero from the finishing department - Andy Longclaw. The motor bike riding Indian, who has the most productive department with an excellent team bubbling with enthusiasm - Gung-ho. Peggy and Andy meet each other by accident and the rest of the book is about their joint efforts to Gung-ho Walton Works #2.
A simple and powerful message for managers at all levels, I read this book whenever I feel a little low. Thanks Andy for handing down the wisdom of your Grandpa. Thanks Peggy for putting it in action and telling us this wonderful story. Gung-ho friends.

Excellent book!!! If you are the type of person that I think you are, you have probably read numerous books on leadership and management. Many of the same strategies and principals are echoed in all of the books. Ken Blanchard does a great job in this book of basically making the reader "Gung Ho" about continued to read on in this book. It is exciting! I thoroughly enjoyed the parables found in this book that were used to teach various leadership strategies. This book is very easy to read but packed with useful information that is extremely easy to understand. Anyone who is dealing with people should take the time to read this book. It's worth your time!!! Excellent read!!!

This book is a simple parable about what it takes to get people motivated to be productive. This quick read is a story about Peggy Sinclair and Andy Longclaw, two managers at a company ready to go out of business. They attempt to bring about change that will save the company and the town they live in.
They follow three steps:
1) The Spirit of the Squirrel. This principle says that people need to know they are making a difference in the world. We have to see how our work relates to making the world a better place. Secondly we all need to work toward a shared goal. Our goals must be made together and must be driven by shared values. Leaders bring essential organizational goals to the table, but allow all to participate in goal making.
2)The Way of the Beaver. This principle gives managers the responcibility of creating an environment where workers can succeed, but then letting the workers work in their own way. Managers define the boundaries, but workers have control within those boundaries. The book's examples show how powerful this principle can be.
3) The Gift of the Goose. This principle states that people do better when they are congratulated for success. It talks about active and passive congratulations. Active is saying "good job." Passive is relaxing when a worker is doing a difficult task. It is trusting them to do it right.
The context Gung Ho is written in is a large manufacturing business. These principles would be even more potent for small businesses. I recommend this book to leaders of businesses and organizations of all types.

Gung Ho! Turn on the People in Any Organization is an interesting mix of management principles and personal narrative (as related to the reader utilizing allegory) with the express purpose of motivating and inspiring the reader to become "turned on" about the work they do...and to, in turn, "infect" others with that same spirit and motivation. The author's talk about three guiding principles (The Spirit of the Squirrel, The Way of the Beaver, and The Gift of the Goose) which are on the surface, quite simple and are, basically, common sense. Digging deeper, if one really thinks about these guiding principles; how they should be applied, what impact they have, or explores them through discussion with co-workers (or peers), one finds that they are indeed profound and can have an incredible impact on both individuals and businesses.

The main drawback to this book, well, the story is so simplified and, well too corny to be fully believable. The characters are all basically caricatures...overly simplified and way too pleasant. This story is either entirely untrue or has been overly distilled, leaving only a syrupy sweet outer shell which gives one a bad aftertaste. I was left with the feeling that the reader was supposed to get to the end and have eyes brimming with tears (HOORAY, they did it) AND a big, cheesy grin on one's face (awwwwwwwww, they did it). All in all, Peggy's narrative had a very "after-school special" feel to it (everything works out just so perfectly that it becomes unbelievable when compared to normal everyday life, there is even a tragically overacted death scene) which was not, in the end, entirely enjoyable or believable.

Overall, Gung Ho! would certainly be an excellent start to any reading an individual might undertake to improve (or learn) management techniques, but it is not a one stop solution to all one's management needs (even discounting the simplicity of the story as it's told). It's lacking in several areas that most other books on management cover...namely, conflict resolution (it's all well and good to infect people with enthusiasm, creativity, and encourage productivity but there is nothing here on how to deal with problem employees over the long haul). This book would (and likely has) make an ideal selection for discussion groups or as a tool for introspection. I give Gung Ho! 4 stars and would readily recommend it for its intended purpose, while it's not without flaws, it is an excellent resource.

This book was copyrighted in 1998 and I still love it and find it applicable today. I really enjoy books that are told as parables for the business world. In Gung Ho! Turn on the People in Any Organization, Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles write about teamwork from the perspective of a Native American. He tells his lessons through the behaviors of squirrels, beavers and geese. I would recommend this book for anyone trying to lead a team forward toward a shared vision.

This is one of the books I reread when I agreed to be the Executive Director for The William Glasser Institute. It definitely provided a road map for how to mobilize passionate people. An oldie but a goodie.

In 1848 Marx and Engels wrote, "The workers have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win." For over 150 years, capitalists have ignored those somber words of warning, preferring to goad, threaten, punish and bully employees into performing to externally determined standards.
Now, finally, a couple of unapologetic capitalists have taken into consideration the socialist critique, and expounded an appropriate leadership philosophy. Blanchard, Bowles, and Sinclair urge us to treat employees with all of the respect due to any human being, not because it is the decent thing to do, but because it is the road to success. Happy, motivated, informed, involved, empowered, and encouraged team members simply produce better than over-controlled, whipped serfs.
This is not another management text. It is a leadership manual. ...and because this is about leadership, rather than management, it won't fit those managers too petty or frightened to lead. However, for those with the courage to lead, this will prove to be an extraordinary book to which they will return over and over again.

This book is simple. It's also very short - you can read it in a couple of hours, it's printed in big font with lots of blank space. It does, however, outline the basic principles of managing people - setting goals and values, empowering and encouraging people. If you're new to management or if you're an experienced manager, but get confused every now and then about what goes wrong - this could be a good beginning. The book is in no way comprehensive or innovative, but it does give you a very clear focus of the fundamental principles. As easy and simple as they may seem, I discovered, to my awe, that in my job I'm not following them, and most people in our organization are not following them. In that sense, this book is great in describing the basics that you absolutely must have in place before you go any further.

This book is a bit weak on the story, though - I found it to be simplistic and a bit cheezy. I know I will not go back to re-reading the book itself, but will definitely use the summary, nicely given by the authors on the last two pages.

I was required to read Gung Ho by my boss, who has been a "traditional" plant manager for over 20 years. I am a Dept Head over a large manufacturing operation, and our productivity has dropped in recent months. He has required all of his staff to read the book, and we have a meeting setup this week to discuss and (hopefully) implement Gung Ho in our plant. My management style is similar to those preached in Gung Ho...lead, encourage, empower. But my boss is such a "boss" that I have had problems filtering his management style from my employees. His nickname is the Warden, if that tells you anything. I just hope he is serious about doing this, and not just blowing smoke. This book really brings home the power of positive thinking, and the power people can have over their work if they believe in themselves and what they are doing. Wish us luck, and Gung Ho, friend !

We went GUNG HO at work. This was easy to read with clear concise examples on how to put this common sense advice to use. Peggy Sinclair and Andy Longclaw attempt to change their organization in order to save the company and town they live in. The story is a simple parable about how to motivate people to be productive, encourage leadership and increase customer service. The Spirit of the Squirrel, The Way of the Beaver and The Gift of the Goose discuss various ways to make employees feel important and provide positive reinforcement for work well done.

I definitely recommend this book for managers/leaders that may be stuck in a rut and looking for motivation. If you are a student of leadership, this will be a 45-minute read and much will be review. Small business owners can use these techniques when dealing with their employees...I did.

This book certainly spoke to me in a way I was not expecting. One result that was probably unintended was my newfound desire to study nature around me, people around me, things that are flowing in harmony. What's their secret?
The squirrel and beaver were absolutely fascinating in their tasks, but my hands-down favorite was the geese. I am now going to buy some beanie baby geese or something to begin passing out to people to "honk" on a job well done.
I love the method employed to tell a great truth, quite similar to the fables of old.
Well written, a must-read for anyone operating within today's organizational cultures.

Gung Ho has it all - a great narrative, humor, inspiration and valuable lessons that can benefit any organization. It illustrates the significance of intrinsic motivation and allowing employees to own their organization's success. I especially liked the team huddle used by the top performing department at the beginning of each shift. Leadership is not about making employees do their job - it is about inspiring them to want to do their jobs to the best of their ability and to be a part of their organization's success. Gung Ho delivers this message beautifully. Well done!

This is an absolutely fantastic book! When I was a retail manager our district manager made this a mandatory read, and I thank him for doing so. I've now on my third time digging the book off my bookshelf and reading it again, eager to apply its wisdom to a new set of problems. The only thing I wish is that there was a Kindle version, I'd reference it all the time!

A great book! The authors tell a story (as they do in the other two books in the series) to illustrate how people will work together. Because it is a story, I don't want to spoil the plot by giving away too much. But the basic story is that there are lessons about how humans should interact with each other to get work done, and they come from behavior exhibited by animals. The ideas are very simple, but sometimes the simplest and best ideas are the most elusive. I laughed out loud a couple of times while reading this book, and I felt great empathy for the characters in the book (based on real people, the names changed to allow them to remain anonymous). In the book, it is revealed that the term Gung Ho is Chinese for "working together", which is where the title comes from.
I was so intrigued and pulled into the story that I couldn't put the book down. I read it in one sitting. Plan to have several hours of free time when you start it. :-)

This is a great primer on successful management and to a lesser degree, leadership. It's told as a story, which I am usually not a huge fan, but it's effective. Not a difficult process to understand yet it's so deep and involving, the book's author even says it could take five years to implement. But there are simply too many great pearls of wisdom to let that time frame get you down. One of the best management books I've read in some time and I would recommend you get a copy of it also.

Authors Blanchard and Bowles have written a plesantly readable account of some ideas that managers can use to motivate their employees. Rather than giving a detailed how-to plan for implementing a workplace motivation program, Gung Ho! Is more of an outline that presents a possible approach to increasing the enthusiasm, cohesiveness, and productivity of the personnel in an organization. The dialog between the main characters in the book explores some of the underlying psychological factors connecting people's emotions and how they view and perform their work. Additionally, the authors show how this motivational approach fits into the larger picture of moving an organization toward increased productivity, higher profits, and greater value to the community. An obvious crucial element to the success of any such motivational program is the total commitment of top management, and this requirement is emphasized throughout the book. Another important aspect to the scenario in Gung Ho! is the immanent shutdown of the manufacturing plant the main characters are involved in. I wonder if the solution they describe would be as readily accepted without such a clear and present threat to survival. Businesses continually face challenges to their survival, but many times the threats are subtle and not so easily harnessed for firing up the workforce. Overall, Gung Ho! Is an entertaining, touching, informative, and valuable read. The company I work for is using it as the basis for a management training class on motivating workers.

I liked the story much better than that of "Raving Fans" by the same two authors. Gung Ho is an allegorcial tale of a new manager charged with the turnaround of a relatively unspectacular division plant. With the help of a native American, she learns the methods of "gung ho" taught to him by his grandfather. The three central themes; "Spirit of the Squirrel", "The Way of the Beaver", and "The Gift of the Goose" all become very clear by story's end. The manager learns some valuable lessons in the process.

If you're a manager and you haven't embraced the principles of "Gung Ho!", you are on limited time. As the Web becomes THE place to do business, employee attitude (i.e., Customer Service) is the defining parameter your customers will most likely use in choosing to do business with a company. How does a company achieve superior customer service? By having content, motivated staff at all levels of the organization. And how does a company maintain a content, satisfied, motivated work force? GUNG HO!

I actually downloaded the audio book of this for my wife. She needed a copy of it for work and wanted to listen to it in the car on her commute. I started listening to it one day out of curiosity and found myself hooked by the story. I have listened to this book around a dozen times now and love the story and message it brings. I highly recommend this book to anyone and not just those people looking to form better work habits and environments.

This is one of the best management, teamwork books I have ever read. It is based on the Golden Rule that if we are all focused on a common vision, want the best for our firm or endeavor and for each other, there is nothing we can accomplish. I loved the three legends. They are so simplistic yet make so much sense. I wish everyone was this Gung Ho about life, their job, God, their family and mankind as a whole. The reading doesn't get much better than this. It can change your life!

The book has some good points about work-place efficiencies and encouragement. But the connotation is that you will be fulfilled in life, if this is fixed. That's nuts! Once you reach that nirvana point... then what?

The introduction mentions Andy Longclaw, on his deathbed, talking about these concepts and how they need to be preached. Like the meaning of his life came down to the workplace -- that's sad! Did his life have nothing else to show for it -- family, friends, spiritual impacts on people?

Ideas to help the workplace are excellent (big fan of it)... but it's NOT religion.

I couldn't finish the book. It rambled on and on as a spirit-quest narrative... to learn ways taught by zen-like masters. And the teachings ended up being about WORK! I got half-way through it and wanted to throw up.

There are some good tips to learn. I found myself skipping to the summaries to see them. I'd recommend other books, about workplace environments, that are MUCH more helpful in hitting the same points.

This has decent points. It's just presented in horrible manner, and stretched WAY too long.

I'm a slow reader and I read this book in a weekend-actually in one day! Not a novel, but it's a real page turner. Did you ever notice how some of the best, most enduring business titles are deceptively short and simple books told in the form of a parable or story? I'm already using this book in my coaching and corporate training company, and I'm recommending it to all my friends. Blanchard stormed the business world 15 years ago with the popular One Minute Manager. Raving Fans got us turned on to customer service, and now Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles have done it again. In short, this book is about work based on values and done with real spirit. It draws on the Native American insights of Andy Longclaw and vividly paints a picture of what business could be. You will run through this book, then want to work back through it again (or listen to the cassette version). Customize the concepts to fit your own business, and watch what happens! You might be able to write your own book in a few years. Be aware that this book shares wisdom, not faddish fix-its, and sets honest expectations. Real turnaround in large organizations takes 1-3 years, not 1-2 quarters. No quick turn-around remedies offered here. But what a recipe for getting to the soul of work! Gung Ho to you, as you learn about the Spirit of the Squirrel, Way of the Beaver, and Gift of the Goose.

Gung Ho! is a book related to management. Although the concepts in the book are simple, it is important to everyone, especially those are in the management field. The three underlying principles are The Spirit of the Squirrel, The Way of the Beaver and The Gift of the Goose. They are parables of the importance of making employees understand their roles, the conflict between directing the tasks to employees and empowerment by management, and the importance of appreciation to employees respectively.
In my view of point, I think Gung Ho! is a revolutionary technique to boost enthusiasm and performance and usher in astonishing results for any organization. The principles are the tips to increase productivity by fostering excellent morale in the workplace. For example, employees will be loyal to the company if they gain job satisfaction from their worthwhile work. Positive reinforcements such as appreciation (i.e. say ¡§well done¡¨ when those have good performance) and empowerment can motivate employees to improve and have a better performance.
To conclude, Gung Ho! is easy to read but useful for everyone. The writers convey the important management strategies to the readers by using simple story and parables. I think it is a good time for the company, the management team and the employees to refresh and understand their roles so that they can have a good relationship which can benefit as a whole.

Frederick Herzberg would be proud. Herzberg, Blanchard, and Tom Peters see and write about the need for an energized workforce so very clearly--so why are more organizations not making more use of their most valuable resource? In a service organization, your people are your only asset and I would argue the same for a production organization. Your quickest and surest way to obtain a competitive advantage is through your people--if allowed to participate and communicate. A fast, but very meaningful read.

I recently purchased 6 used copies of the book GUNG HO!. The condition of the books I selected were listed as either " like new or very good". All 6 of the books were in excellent condition. However, 1 had paragraphs through out the book marked with brackets and 1 had a name printed in side the front cover. Considering the money saved and the use I had for the books I feel that I got an excellent buy and would do it again. Thank You the store.com

The book is good. Great for anyone interested in business, economics and/or management. I had to read it for an economics class. Thanks to its simplicity and clear message I was able to get through the book in no time flat.
There are already reviews here which outline the messages conveyed within and I don't intend to. The main character Peggy is put in charge of a plant and has to figure out ways to bring back revenue as well as employee confidence. In the end she is able to alter the way in which her factory workers or "team members", as the book reinforces, do their work and more importantly their effeciency and happiness. She did so with a system which is more human and less sterile than those of the old business practices. To sum up the system gave greater respect and knowledge to the employees concerning their purpose, goals and attainable aspirations.
Well let my tell you something I've been a "team member" of a large entertainment company. I was a drone though they made me feel like I was vital to the place. They babbled on about values and goals, well you know what I was still parking goddamn cars. However through knowing exactly my purpose, and the possible effects I could have on the company and therefore myself I was motivated. This system which Peggy invented is very worthwhile and should be applied to modern day business practice. Let me tell you something though, I would never go back to that job. I will never work a routine job like that again. It takes no brain power and drains all your energy for measley wages. I'd rather sit homeless on the streets then be sucked into thinking I was working for the greater good in exchange for minimum wage. Only you can decide what a greater good is and for me it's not working in a parking lot or working in a factory. Honestly I don't believe these jobs are suitable for semi-intelligent human beings and that's my biggest outrage over the message.

I ordered this book and it is the best business book I've ever read --- and I'm an avid reader of business books with an MBA. The authors have packed more common sense and genius ideas into a hundred or so pages than others can in 500 pages. I'm putting the Spirit Of The Squirrel, The Way Of The Beaver and The Gift Of The Goose to work in my own life and what a difference, at work AND at home! If you don't know what I'm talking about with these animals you need to find out. Thankyou the store for tipping me off to this book with these reviews.

The anti-cliche corporate example used as the basis for this book and its powerful message prove again that the best ideas are the simplest ones. The brilliance of the author's writing is its quick and easy-to-read format. An author with a larger ego could have easily mired this message in excessive wordiness to lengthen the page count, but why? The concepts are logical and straight-forward. Blanchard is to be commended for presenting them in a similar format.

As for the message itself, the three basic lessons are gifts that keep giving. They can be applied to nearly any work environment, of any size, in any industry, by any manager. The message is particularly powerful for managers who are either constrained in their abilities to provide powerful financial incentives for employees, OR are surrounded by Gen X and Y employees who may only be marginally motivated by money in the first place. By actively incorporating these philosophies in day-to-day operations, managers are likely to not only see productivity improvements, but to see employee retention and motivation gains as well. The book is a roadmap to creating an environment that will nurture Gen Y's endless craving to work in a team-based atmosphere flush with positive feedback.

Overall, a highly relevant read for anyone in management or aspiring to be so.

I read a review that stated the book is packed with common sense and stated that as a positive. I would agree it is packed with common sense. All information that we all have already have unless one is a complete uneducated idiot with no clue what is going on in the world around them. I didn't need to have someone point out things I already know.
Was a complete waste of time. These guys should be ashamed of themselves for making a profit from this.

I just finished reading this book today and overall I like it. However, like reviewer [email protected], I have extreme misgivings about what was suggested on page 144. The book is trying to make the point that people need encouragement and public praise when they do a good job. The book emphasizes this point by describing the various medals, badges, etc. that a soldier can get for doing his job. The statement, in my opinion, is brutally harsh, but basically it is true. I'm disappointed that the author (I guess out of respect to Andy) was not humble enough to point out the same thing Native American's gave their braves for courage and bravery. I'm sure, from the way that Andy was portrayed, he would have been more that willing to say such a thing. However, what I'm most disappointed about is that the author failed to point out just like [email protected] says that many men may have gone to war for their country and family. Similarly, many people have an ingrained attitude toward work where they daily give 110% regardless of their environment. The goal of this book is simple. It is all about fixing people's attitude towards work. The book shows you how to get a worker's attitude to contribute to his success and eventually the company's success. Those who already give 110%, push for change everyday and drive themselves to constantly improve themselves, may not get a lot out of it. The book in a nutshell is: 1) company and management values and sticking to them through the worst of times (company mission statement, personal mission statement, and finding common ground between the two); 2) BHAG (Big Hairy A__ Goal to challenge competent, prepared employees); 3) Giving people the space they need to do their jobs in their own way (Delegation of authority, work teams, suggestion boxes and quality circles); 4) Knowing how to party and dish out genuine praise (compensation, company awards and parties). These are concepts well spelled out in other books and well-known (of course) to many world-class Japanese and American companies. My point? I thought I would learn something new. Instead, I got an entertaining story of a turnaround using well-known and established techniques. But that is not the real beauty of this book. You often read articles of companies using certain techniques to succeed. Rarely, do you find a story that pulls all these techniques together and shows you why each component is important and their interdependence. Go for it, it is a real quick read, but the reference to the military stuff is unacceptable.

Gung Ho!
Gung Ho! is one of the best management books that I have read. Anyone that supervises others should read this book and practice using the techniques on a daily basis. The co-authors, Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles tell a story that is basically common sense and easy to understand. The principles could be used in your personal life as well as your professional life. In the prologue, Peggy Sinclair was faced with the task of telling the Gung Ho story, a promise she made to her friend Andy Longclaw, before he passed away. As she was walking away from the hospital, Peggy was wondering how she was going to keep her promise. After hearing a conversation that two men were having, something one man said to the other came through loud and clear. "The Buddhists say when the student is ready the teacher would appear." Gung Ho! is a tale of a new general manager challenged with turning a failing business at Walton Works #2 into a success. Old man Morris thought for sure he would use Peggy Sinclair for a scapegoat. After figuring this out, she was out to prove him wrong. This book teaches management personnel how to motivate and improve performance of those they direct. The three simple techniques, "The Spirit of the Squirrel," "The Way of the Beaver" and "The Gift of the Goose" stand for worthwhile work, in control of achieving a goal, and cheer each other on respectively, are excellent tools to motivate others, though a lot of people do not utilize these tools or feel that a word of praise is necessary. I have presented my manager with these same ideas, before I ever read this book; only to be told "They get a paycheck, don't they? That should be all they need." I tried to reason with him and make him understand that a simple "Thank you" or "Good job" would go a long way in a positive direction. This will create good morale from the associates and they would be more apt to "buy into" the company goals. This is the same manager that gave me the Gung Ho! book to read. For me, the book was a refresher course in my style of management. As for my manager, I don't think he read the book, if he has, he evidently doesn't understand it. People want to be treated with respect. They want clearly defined and attainable goals to achieve. Recognition needs to be given to let others know that you appreciate their efforts. Others, myself included, will perform at maximum efficiency when someone else, especially their superiors, displays gratitude and appreciation. Any praise must be sincere, truly mean what you say; others can tell if you are being phony. What you say, and how you say it, could have a positive or a negative impact on your goals. The term Gung Ho is Chinese for "working together." Gung Ho, friend!

I usually hate it when my professors at college give me reading assingments..... I adore the one that made me read Gung Ho! I read it in spanish and thought the translation must have been exceptionally good so that the book was actually interesting. When I read it in english I made the book my topic of conversation for the year 2000!
The book gives you the tools you need to succeed in just one night! Gung Ho, friend!

I enjoyed 'Who Moved My Cheese' and 'The One Minute Manager'. Both, exceptional books in distinctive areas. 'Gung Ho' expands on the 'One Minute Manager' providing a unique viewpoint with recommendations on enabling the organisation as a whole to move forward.
The squirrel, beaver and goose are utilised brilliantly as metaphors to enhance the understanding and recollection of the messages.

Organization have to continually change to grow. If you use this method, it works! It's as simple as that. Time and time again I've seen it happen. Departments, where they use the input from staff and actually give credit to their staff, display positive progress and turnover percentages go down. Employees feel valued when their input is taken seriously. Too many times in organizations, I see the presidents, vice presidents, directors, and sometimes managers all give lip service to utilizing their staff, but I don't see the action on follow up. And supervisors are usually left in the dark about what to do; so the whole idea falls apart. Following this book will truly improve the workplace.

I was forced to read this book by my employer and had a Gung Ho review with the General Manager. I'm in the hotel business and this sort of book is the typical team building tool they like to use. The trilogy of two rodents and a goose is a little bit insulting to an adult. I find it hard to believe that Ken Blanchard with all his millions would be having coffee at a Denny's restaurant. The story is a total fabrication. The Native Americans that I have worked with have little interest in management. Profit is not their motive in life. My General manager has a book case full of this bilge and were losing money. Gung Ho is not working for our organization.........

This is a fun, easy book to read, with plenty of concise, common-sense advice. My problem with this book is the same as I had with Raving Fans, which is that the obviously fictional story makes me question the validity of the claims of how well the system works.

The authors claim that it's based on a true story, with names changed to protect the innocent. Okay, but most business books are based on real events at real companies, so this approach doesn't necessarily make sense for this genre of writing.

It's still fun, and the advice still makes sense, but the style makes me wonder about the credibility.

Very sappy, manipulative management book that starts out with a death scene to soften you up, then takes you on a short trip from a plant facing closure to winning a national award in about 150 5"x8" pages about 1/2 full of 24 point type. Very lightweight. Your suspension of disbelief will last about 5 pages, unless you have been put under its corny spell like many reviewers seem to have been. If there is an "Andy" or "Peggy" I'll eat my hat. Here's a sample: "I love you, Andy" I choked out. "I know," he said. Then added, "I love you too. Always have."
Here's some more: "Oh, no, Andy. No," I protested. "It is you who have blessed me and everyone in the company."
Here's one more: "Peggy, I'm your father!" "Oh, Andy! I knew it! I loooove you!"
Oh wait, they didn't go quite that far. But damn close.
Save yourself from two hours of this soap opera and read "The Goal" instead.

The concepts presented in this book aren't new or innovative, but the way they are presented is. I like the simplicity of the animal analogies: they're a great way to get the message across to our employees, who do not have a high level of education. I just wish there were a Spanish version. I'm having some trouble translating the title! "Extremely Enthusiastic" just doesn't have the same impact.

I went to the seminar by Blanchard yesterday.
I read the book today.

I didn't think anything could top the seminar -- but boy was I wrong !!!!

Tremendous book !!! -- The ideas represent one hell of alot of work -- but I can already tell it's gonna be worth it !!!!!

I read GUNG HO in a day, and sat in amazement as I turned each page. The book was so realistic and so true to life and to my own working environment. The Gift of the Goose was by far my favorite section. Always when words are spoken from the heart, they're heard! Thanks for sharing!

I read GUNG HO in a day, and sat in amazement as I turned each page. The book was so realistic and so true to life and to my own working environment. The Gift of the Goose was by far my favorite section. Always when words are spoken from the heart, they're heard! Thanks for sharing!

The Spirit of the squirrel, The Way of the Beaver, and The Gift of the Goose are the best gifts you can give to you managers. Blanchard and Bowles nailed the concepts of workplace co-operation and teamwork in a style that will appeal to all readers. Get this book for your managers and make your business an unqualified success. My book, "Always Remember, If it ain't fun, It ain't worth doing!" is a great follow up to this book. It will take your managers to the next level of management excellence... Wayne Kehl

GUNG HO! was assigned to me as part of a leadership course. With its large print and wide margins, the book is really not much more than a pamphlet; you could easily finish it in a sitting. But it's probably best to read this at a slow pace, allowing time to absorb the lessons that it teaches, much as the main character in this book has to wait between lessons. There are useful, practicable measures to improve the performance of one's work force. There's nothing revolutionary here--like many self-help books, the beauty is in presenting commonsense ideas in a creative way (one can get a little distracted, though, in trying to discern in this narrative what's fiction and what's not) to get one to think about them. Finishing this book, I really did get reenergized about leading people, and to look for ways to instill a sense of leadership among my personnel. This book is not the be-all-and-end-all of management books; there are a number of other well written management books that target such critical areas as conflict resolution and time management. But this is a good starting point.

Gung Ho! is a simple book that outlines three basic techniques that are very levelheaded. They're almost common sense in a way. If people participate in deciding goals they'll be much more likely to work towards them. If people are given more control over what they need to do, people will feel like they're accomplishing their own challenges. If people are verbally congratulated about their work, they will feel better about themselves and have higher moral.
Overall, it was an easy read and provides sound advice. I recommend it to those who want quick management tips.

Gung Ho! is destined to become a classic in business books. In an inspiring and easy to read story, Andy Longclaw teaches his boss, Peggy Sinclair, now to create enthusiasm, commitment and astonishing results for any organization. As a result Peggy is able to turn the business around and they both get to keep their jobs. The story itself is touching and the characters feel like real people, which is often unique in these kinds of books. The principles espoused are solid. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to be a great leader.

After reading the book Gung Ho I have found myself not only looking at my job in a different way, but also my everyday life. I am a 22 year old production worker and after reading this book my foreman wanted to read it. As of today it has been passed along from me to my foreman, our supervisor,plant manager,and even to our company president. All that have read it now agree with me this is the most inspirational book we have ever read. It has made such an impact on all of us that my company is now starting to incorporate many of the things in the book into our workplace. If you want to motivate yourself or someone else just read the book. It will have nothing but positive affects.

I saw Ken Blanchard's Gung Ho! special on PBS and I was motivated to get the book. In three weeks this book has turned my whole attitude around and it is making a real difference in the department where I work. My boss had made it clear that we had to improve but until I read Gung Ho! I had no idea how I was actually going to do it. I'm a woman and some of these guys had been dead at work so long they didn't need embalming. It wasn't a task I thought I was going to win on. But Gung Ho! has done it. The dead have arisen and the department is starting to catch fire.
Gung Ho Ken Blanchard and your co-author too.

I enjoyed the positive, straightforward, simplified approach to making a difference in the workplace. Today's economy has created an atmosphere of fear and negativity that has spread throughout most businesses from the ground up. A book like this - put to use - could make a real difference.

This book provides simple but powerful concepts that can actually be implemented. After all the lengthy management books I've read and struggled to apply this one is a breath of fresh air.
Gung Ho!

Gung Ho! Are the type books that can really affect the progress of a business. By the power of Gung Ho! You can actually increase the development of your company. This book teaches the reader how a single business can't succeed with a group of people; you must share your goals with your fellow workers, in order to accomplish a single dream. The down side about this book is it's a little short, and its not really fun reading. But hey this book really helps to understand how to run a successful business.

This book takes an excessive amount of time to maybe identify a dozen very fundamental, basic HR/Supervisory/Management concepts. It is one of many "feel good, have fun" books trying to distill complex issues to a unique theme to try to make up for its lack of substance. Nothing is new other than the story line, which is trite. There are over 26 books of similar nature on the store alone, that carry the same basic message and ideas. Recent feedback on the "best companies" to work for indicate that the common theme among them, regardless of extra "morale building" activities, is that of staff development and on-going training. Superficial approaches to morale lead to superficial morale. Its emphasis on external/extrinsic rewards to motivate and build a team ignores the lessons of the Hawthorne Affect and Maslow's seminal work and development of the concept of Hierarchy of needs and the self-actualizing person, as well as Frederick Herzberg's HBR management classic on how to motivate employees (you don't!). Indeed, try the approaches in this book on a self-actualizing person and prepare to be viewed as trite and superficial. Better to spend your time and money on HBR's "Best of HBR on Motivation" if you want to really understand how to "motivate" your employees or if you want some truly useful information.

This is perhaps the most flagrant military bashing I have ever read in a main stream business book. This passage is a window into the souls of the authors. They denigrate every man and woman who has served in our armed forces. How many of your classmates died to maintain our freedom. How many of them made the ultimate sacrifice for tin on their chests. How important was the gold braid on the hat to our forces in New Guinea? Did those who survived the Baatan Death March look forward to tin on their chests? As the landing craft lowered their doors into a veritable hell on D-Day, Our soldiers were there because of gold braid? What about Korea? Vietnam? Desert Storm? What part did tin pay to these heroes. I made a sales call on the Ft Hood commissary during Desert Storm. I drove past a huge field of cars surrounded by barbed wire, guarded by several MPs. I stopped and asked one of the policemen, " Where did all these cars come from? He replied, "The troops who went to Desert Storm." As I stood there looking out over a virtual sea of pick ups and automobiles it was quite humbling to realize that each car belonged to a solider. Soldiers who left their homes and families to go to war. They went because that is their job. Their job is to go into harms way for me and my family and all Americans. For tin or gold braid, I think not. This last February, my son and I climbed to the top of The Battle of The Bulge memorial in Bastogne, Belgium.
"The Battle of the Bulge was the greatest pitched battle ever fought by the United States, its only major struggle in the dead of Winter." The biting cold wind driven snow was almost more than I could stand but as I looked out across the fields and hills where this decisive battle took place I knew I could leave anytime. I could run to the car and its warmth. The American combat soldiers could not escape the bitter cold of that winter in 1944. I sent up a silent prayer to God, asking him to nurture the souls of the thousands of Americans who gave their lives on this bleak frozen plain, so far from home. I tried to imagine how they endured here. I stood there until I finally knew why they endured here. Was it for a chest full of tin or maybe gold braid on the hat? You be the judge.
Perhaps my managers did not actually read this book, or if they did they must have missed page 144. That is the only acceptable explanation. I thought we as a nation had healed our wounds over Vietnam, but as witnessed by the anti-militarism of Mr. Blanchard writings, the Jane Fonda syndrome lives on. What a tragedy for us.

This book can definitely boost enthusiasm and performance for those who are committed to success. The story was simple yet powerful. The book contains alot of common sense and great ideas to use personally and in business. I will utilize what I have learned in this book because I want to continue to be successful. I enjoy where I work and the people I work with, reading this book will make me more enthusiastic, committed and setting goals for myself.
I would like to thank my leader for the opportunity to have read this book.

I don't know what it was, but I fell in love with the book as soon as I started reading. The book inspired me. We choice the book as a book club book for administrative assistants, and found that it was just as aplicable to us as to management.

I purchased the audio version of the book. First, the reader, Agnes Herrmann, was terrible. Her reading was at times comicle when it wasn't supposed to be.

The content of the book was below average in my opinion. Again maybe it was just the way it was being read but I could not take it seriously and the content came across as being "Made Up" or "Fake"...just did not seem genuine to me.

I bought Gung Ho becasue of the overwhelming positive reviews about it. I was very dissapointed.

Read this book, learn the rules of Gung Ho, and be happy! This book preaches ideas that are incredibly simple, yet profound. Anyone that can read should pick up a copy, especially if you hate going to the same boring, mundane officeplace day after day where work is long, tedious, and monotonous and the amount of enthusiasm present is so low that it goes into the negatives. Good luck on your soon-to-end quest for happiness at work!

This is the finest and most practical book I have read on leadership to date. Gung Ho is a book that will get you headed on the right track. As with all of Blanchard's books, Gung Ho takes you on a fun adventure into real leadership and management issues. Blanchard entertains you and teaches you a lesson at the same time. Being a management major at Webster University in St.Louis, Mo., I strongly recommend Gung Ho to both college students and business leaders.

First of all I feel sorry for the people who did not get anything out of this book. The things taught are pretty much the way I try to run my organization and hopefully my life. The book was one of many I have read in my thirty five years of managerial experience but absolutely the easiest to read because it was put into a novel form. I have ordered copies for all of my supervisors and also for my daughter who is in a managerial position. For Peggy I have only one thing to say...Gung Ho, and I would like to meet you someday.

We are using this book as part of our overall management training. The concepts taught are valuable and useful in all areas of management and tie in effectively with other required reading in the program. The key is to go beyond just reading the book and apply the principles taught within its pages. We are beginning to see a change in our management culture as a result of applying these techniques.

I was told to read this book, eventhough I am a squirrel. I thought it was very degrading that the author compares working people to animals-rodents in particular. Let me tell you it just don't work that way! The story was so bad that it has given all of us "squirrels'" quite a bit of laughter at managements expense. I have watched some of Ken Blanchard's seminars on his website and I see that he likes to compare working class (blue collar) employees to animals. Treat people fairly, pay them adequately, and give them your respect is what will get results. I don't want my coworkers to sing happy birthday to me, or charts on the wall. All of the things that my employer has done in the past two years since going "Gung Ho" have only increased Ken Blanchard's income. They have bought posters, books and t-shirts from his business. The man and my employer are clueless!!! If things have gotten that bad in your organization that you would resort to reading this book I would suggest that changes in management personnel are in order. I wonder if Ken knows that a leopard doesn't change it's spots.

GUNG HO! was assigned to me as part of a leadership course. With its large print and wide margins, the book is really not much more than a pamphlet; you could easily finish it in a sitting. But it's probably best to read this at a slow pace, allowing time to absorb the lessons that it teaches, much as the main character in this book has to wait between lessons. There are useful, practicable measures to improve the performance of one's work force. There's nothing revolutionary here--like many self-help books, the beauty is in presenting commonsense ideas in a creative way (one can get a little distracted, though, in trying to discern in this narrative what's fiction and what's not) to get one to think about them. Finishing this book, I really did get reenergized about leading people, and to look for ways to instill a sense of leadership among my personnel. This book is not the be-all-and-end-all of management books; there are a number of other well written management books that target such critical areas as conflict resolution and time management. But this is a good starting point.

I was amazed at how quick we received these books. We ordered 12 of them for the office and received them before we were told we would and the packaging was in perfect condition. I love the store.com and how dependable they are in getting your product to you in a timely manner and how they package their products so that they are not damaged during shipment. Thank you the store.

Gung Ho! Shows many different aspects in the busines. How you can be at the bottom, and change your attitude and head straight up to the top to reach success. This book will change your feelings about work itself. Its a great book.

This is one of the best books on management principles I have read. The author keeps you captivated from the first page to the last with common sense, practical advice that you can share with everyone in your organization. I cannot say enough good things about this book. What an inspiration!

the book Gung Ho! Turn On the People in Any Organization by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowels its a very good story about a business in crisis. I like the fact that the authors use animals to represent trends that workers should follow to be more efficient. Very good to pass time and read some fiction about economics. :)

We were subjected to the full Gung-Ho experience about 6 years ago. If you want a management video that generates uncontrollable laughter, this is the one. The native american character passing on timeless secrets of business management is SO believable--cuz if there's one thing Native American's care about, it's effective industrial management! Gotta make the big bucks for those CEO's! After all, "Gung-Ho!" is an old Haida word that means--no, wait, it's a word GI's brought back from East Asia. Blanchard can't even keep his shallow stereotrypes straight. Pure rubbish.

I cannot be alone in thinking that a book called "Turn on the people in any organization" would give some useful tips on how to come across as an engaging and attractive fellow whom people would like to seduce. At the very least, it should suggest how to do "turn on" people in the sense of backstabbing - I mean, I am quite prepared to turn on my staff when cornered by senior management about why I haven't done something I said I would. (Needless to say, there are a few people reading these reviews who will know who I'm talking about.) But no. It means "to switch on" or "engage". It's fine so far as it goes, but it is going in the wrong direction for many.

After I read this book, I bought a copy for my boss and my Leadership Team. We are taking this book a few pages at a time and applying the principles to our business. We'll be Gung Ho in no time! The lessons are numerous and the philosophy is priceless. Gung Ho, friend.

Gung Ho! is an inspirational book about leadership and organizational change. The lessons are presented in the form of a story but the points are made clearly. The book challenges all of us evaluate our values based on how we treat others. I recommend the book to anyone who is interested in taking thier organization, regardless of its purpose, to a new level

Very heart warming book told in a story format. 3 basic techniques for managers and leaders to use with their people. 1) worthwile work 2) Giving control 3) encourage each other.
Although I have not read the book, the cassette was worth my time.

Everyone reading this book has to agree that it hits home in every aspect of business practices. Why companies and people don't apply these principles or even think about them until it's to late and the business is failing is beyond belief.

I thought this book was insultingly stupid. It took much too long for the authors to spell out the parables and the lessons learned. All the useful knowledge could have been summed up in a few pages. Instead, the authors drag out this idiotic storyline to demonstrate the points they attempt to make.

I enjoyed The One Minute Manager. I just want to know why the authors couldn't get their point across in one minute in this book.

The entire story is obviously fiction and built around several basic business principles that get stretched over 150+ pages. The print covers only half the page so they can stretch it out to book length. Insulting.

I purchased 12 copies of this book to distribute to the administration and school board of my local district. The philosophy and of teamwork, quality work, challenging work and positive affirmations are presented in an easy to understand way which can aid in implementation. A great inspiring look at leadership.

I did not think it could happen - but with our new intitatives and
company wide conference calls explaining them, people are begining to
take on the Gung Ho mentality. It's all in the approach. The book taught us that.

This book was a fast and easy read. It gives great tips on how to keep a company interested and in a happy workplace. The three concepts of the squirrel, beaver, and goose, give great insight into how the authtor's use their unique technique to produce a happy working community.

I found it an excellent take on everyone finding their meaning in a workplace and having meaningful work. However, it sounds like it would take years for a department to be able to implement all of the principals.

Are you kidding me? First, this book was written at the 4th grade level, and badly at that. Second, comparing your employees to rodents is insulting. Third, Beaver?!? Beaver?!? Is the author completely unfamiliar with the decidedly unprofessional connotation with this large furry mammal? If you bought read this book, or made your employees read this book and think that you learned anything in it that will assist you with managing today's employees, you are so horribly out of touch with the modern workplace that you will definitely not be able to get a job in 5 years. Everyone under 40 will think you are an idiot.

I saw Ken Blanchard's Gung Ho! special on PBS and I was motivated to get the book. In three weeks this book has turned my whole attitude around and it is making a real difference in the department where I work. My boss had made it clear that we had to improve but until I read Gung Ho! I had no idea how I was actually going to do it. I'm a woman and some of these guys had been dead at work so long they didn't need embalming. It wasn't a task I thought I was going to win on. But Gung Ho! has done it. The dead have arisen and the department is starting to catch fire.
Gung Ho Ken Blanchard and your co-author too.

Conveniently, the heroine of the story asks the writers to disguise her, her Indian mentor, the community in which she "lives," and the company she "works" for. Her experiences are essentially generic. She rides on back of a motorcycle ridden by her mentor. Was it a dirt bike, street bike, crotch rocket, cruiser...? What group of Indians did her mentor belong to--plains, coastal, southwest...? Pretending fiction is fact is an old marketing ploy that goes back at least to Robinson Crusoe. Crusoe was, however, at least interesting. Gung Ho is not.

Conveniently, the heroine of the story asks the writers to disguise her, her Indian mentor, the community in which she "lives," and the company she "works" for. Her experiences are essentially generic. She rides on back of a motorcycle ridden by her mentor. Was it a dirt bike, street bike, crotch rocket, cruiser...? What group of Indians did her mentor belong to--plains, coastal, southwest...? Pretending fiction is fact is an old marketing ploy that goes back at least to Robinson Crusoe. Crusoe was, however, at least interesting. Gung Ho is not.