One of my most influential mentors, teachers, and dear friends is Mr. Ken Blanchard, who celebrated his 75th birthday yesterday!
I am so grateful to have gotten to know Ken personally over the years and am proud to call him a friend knowing that people all over the world credit him for their business success.
His book “The One Minute Manager” has sold more than 13 million copies and has been translated into 37 languages.
Ken is truly a luminary in the field of organizational leadership, financial fitness, and business mastery, but what I admire most about Ken Blanchard is his unique ability to master the meaning of any and all events and life conditions that he is presented with.
With Ken, there are truly no bad days.
Ken has a deep love and respect for his creator and that reflects powerfully in the way he shares his love of life in every moment with unequivocal gratitude. This passion for life is what has made him such a mentor for me both professionally and personally.
I first met Ken when I was 24. I didn’t play golf then, but I showed him how to make the mental shifts that shaved a few strokes off his game. Ken is crazy about golf and was extremely grateful for the tips. We developed a friendship.
At that time I was writing my very first book. It went on to land a spot on the New York Times Best Seller List and I was gaining momentum and building my business. Like most people, I had already heard of George S. Clason’s 1926 classic, “The Richest Man In Babylon“ the day that Ken pulled me aside for a talking to. I was aware of a central concept in the book– the simple idea of paying yourself first. That is, taking 10 percent of your income and setting it aside to grow and protect you in the future. But Ken connected with me and imparted a message at this critical time that I was coming into myself as a young business man. He taught me something that many business owners don’t realize.
