Winning Ways: Four Secrets for Getting Great Result by Working Well with People

Dick Lyles, president and COO of the Ken Blanchard Companies, is not the first to suggest that the greatest challenge facing executives today is learning how to work with others. However, in Winning Ways, he condenses four essential strategies for success into a parable that's easy to read and absorb. Lyles's tale stars Albert, a recent computer engineering graduate who isn't getting along well with coworkers. His recent assignment to a key team, in fact, has been an unmitigated disaster, even though it was initiated by a mentor who thought she was offering a career-boosting opportunity. To help Albert build the people skills he lacks, she points him in the direction of a college football coach who has recorded a stunning 239 wins against only three losses by teaching a series of "winning ways" that spurred his teams to extraordinary accomplishments. While slim at just 92 pages, the book successfully conveys the essence of these principles--don't be afraid to give away power, collaboration is better than competition, leave your ego at the door, and solve problems for the future rather than the present or the past--while simultaneously demonstrating how they relate to the Albert in us all. --Howard Rothman