Who Kidnapped Excellence?: What Stops Us from Giving and Being Our Best - Hardcover

Paul, Harry; Britt, John; Jent, Ed

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1626560870 ISBN 13: 9781626560871

Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2014

Synopsis

Who Kidnapped Excellence?

Most companies talk about excellence, but what does excellence really mean? What specific attitudes and practices lead to excellence? Drawing on years of study and decades of experience, authors Harry Paul, John Britt, and Ed Jent have zeroed in on five core qualities of excellence. In this entertaining and enlightening book, they tell how to give and be your best in each of these five critical dimensions and foster excellence in your organization and in your life.

The book begins with a crime being committed: Excellence (personified) has been kidnapped, and Leadership assembles Excellence’s team (Passion, Flexibility, Communication, Competency, and Ownership) and challenges them to work together to get their Excellence back.

And who is the culprit? Has Average kidnapped Excellence and replaced Excellence’s team with his own: N. Different, N. Ept, N. Flexible, Miss Communication, and Poser? A mysterious ransom note sparks the struggle between Average and Excellence.

Integrated into this tale of organizational excellence is the story of Dave, a delivery man. The kidnapping causes Dave to contemplate his own life and relationships in a way that makes the paths of personal and organizational excellence cross and intertwine. Who Kidnapped Excellence? is a parable that helps organizations and individuals achieve their best in every aspect of their lives.

About this title

About the Author:

Harry Paul has over thirty years’ experience in business, including management training and consulting, sales, distribution, product development, and international operations. He is the coauthor of six books, including Revved! (with Ross Reck) and the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller Fish!
John Britt is director of healthcare solutions at Kforce. He has been assisting large organizations’ leadership and management with change for over twenty years. He is the coauthor, with Ken Blanchard, of Who Killed Change?
Ed Jent has been a minister of education for the past twenty-six years and has served in Kentucky, Georgia, Tennessee, and Texas.

Review:

“As a believer in the philosophy outlined in Harry Paul’s book Fish!, I feel Who Kidnapped Excellence? has the same potential to have a profound impact with its straightforward, plainspoken message that will resonate with everyone from the frontline to the executive office, at work and in one’s personal life. I had a few aha moments myself that made me see my own personal situation in a new light and provided a framework to lead my current team from good to great.”
—John D. Smith, regional president and general manager in the hospitality and entertainment industry

“The privilege of a lifetime is to be the best of who you are and to exercise that privilege every day. Who Kidnapped Excellence? will show you how!”
—Rick Peterson, Director of Pitching Development for the Baltimore Orioles and Pitching Coach for the Oakland A’s during the Moneyball era

“What stops you from giving and getting your best? Read Who Kidnapped Excellence? and find out. The key principles and practical applications in this book are life changing.”
—Donald D. Snyder, former Dean, William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

“An exciting management thriller that can be of immense value to change agents in the workplace. Thank you, Harry, John, and Ed, for authoring this wonderful book on being and delivering the best.”
—N. S. Rajan, Member, Group Executive Council, and Group Chief Human Resources Officer, Tata Sons

“To be excellent in our professional and personal lives is a choice. The authors make their points about achieving excellence using a fun ‘whodunit’ crime story that most of us will relate to. I highly recommend this book to all those seeking to develop or sustain excellence in their lives.”
—J. Talbot (Tal) Land, former Healthcare Consulting Partner, Ernst & Young

“A fun and easy read that simply addresses the critical need for company cultures to never take their eyes off Excellence—as it can quickly disappear before you know it!”
—Jon Headlee, President, Ten Adams, a health-care marketing and culture firm business

About this edition

• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1626560870
• ISBN 13: 9781626560871
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 168