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Rating (5 Rising Suns is a must read - 1 Rising Sun is low interest in reading)

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Review
It is impressive how Ken Blanchard consistently puts high impact concepts into a fictional story design in such a way as to enable the reader to remember the main points while enjoying the reading experience. He did it again with the book entitled Gung Ho! Turn on the People in Any Organization. The main character in this book is Peggy Sinclair, who is put in charge of a plant that is doomed to be closed due to poor productivity. She is assisted in her endeavor to save the plant by the one division manager who has the only department that is producing above expectations, Andy Longclaw. It is Andy's management philosophy, called "Gung Ho," that Peggy learns and implements throughout this book that ultimately changes the fate of the plant.

After Peggy meets Andy Longclaw by chance, she soon discovers that the numbers show that his department is the highest functioning in the plant. When she visits the department, she sees a dramatic difference from the overall depressed atmosphere in the rest of the company. The people in his department are happy to be there, eager to work, and excited about their successes. It is easy to see that this department has set a standard that the rest of the company needs to accept and strive for.

Andy offers to teach Peggy his management philosophy, which he learned from his own grandfather. His approach is called "Gung Ho," and refers to the enthusiasm and energy that a high functioning team demonstrates. He shares the three main concepts with Peggy over several months. He does it this way because the concepts need to be implemented in a certain order and over time, and he doesn't want Peggy to jump the gun and rush the process out of fear or frustration. Both of them are so committed to applying the Gung Ho philosophy at Walton Works #2 that they end each meeting with each other with the phrase, "Gung Ho, Friend."

The three concepts that Andy teaches Peggy are The Spirit of the Squirrel, the Way of the Beaver and the Gift of the Goose. With a Native American slant and appreciation of nature, these concepts are based on the behavior of these three particular animals. The squirrel represents having a sense of worthwhile work, the beaver represents being in control of achieving the goal, and the goose represents cheering each other on. All three of these concepts include specific strategies that are required to achieve a Gung Ho organization.
After Peggy slowly implements the above three Gung Ho concept strategies over several months, of course the employees re-engage and, as a result, productivity grows. The plant is not closed down, and eventually earns awards and a visit with the President of the United States. Happy endings are always found in Ken Blanchard books!

Summary of Main Points
The three cornerstones of the Gung Ho approach to management are areas of strategies that are meant to increase employee engagement. These fundamental concepts include:

Step 1: The Spirit of the Squirrel: Squirrels are constantly and energetically searching for food in warmer months so that they survive during the winter. Based on this behavior, the Spirit of the Squirrel highlights three specific things that need to be in place in an organization before moving onto Step 2.

* Employees knowing they make the world a better place.

* Everyone working toward a shared goal.

* Values guiding all plans, decisions and actions.

Step 2: The Way of the Beaver: Beavers all work toward the same goal, which is to build a safe and sturdy dam in which to live. However, there is no lead beaver supervising the rest. Every beaver works independently and selects his/her own tasks that will contribute to the overall goal. Based on this behavior, The Way of the Beaver presents three concepts that need to be in place in an organization before moving onto Step 3.

* Creating a playing field with clearly marked territory (leaders decide what position team members play, but then need to get off the field and let the players do their thing)

* Thoughts, feelings, needs, and dreams are respected, listened to, and acted upon.

* Having expectations that employees are able to reach, but challenge them.

Step 3: The Gift of the Goose: Geese are constantly honking at each other to encourage each other in their daunting task of migration. Based on this behavior, the Gift of the Goose presents three strategies to encourage staff and to help them encourage each other.

* Active or passive, congratulations must be TRUE (timely, responsive, unconditional and enthusiastic)

* No score, no game, and cheer the progress

* E = mc2 …Enthusiasm equals mission times cash and congratulations

Call To Action
The following strategies are recommended for those who want to turn around their organization from Ho Hum to Gung Ho:

* Read Gung Ho! Turn on the People in Any Organization and make a commitment to build a Gung Ho organization based on the teachings in this book.

* Build a leadership team that will assist you with the implementation of Gung Ho! Be sure that everyone on the team reads the book and provide opportunities for discussion to ensure not only that everyone understands the concepts, but that they also are committed to applying them.

* Start by implementing the Spirit of the Squirrel. Help the organization find the meaning in the work being done. Connect the work beyond just the customers. How does the work ultimately help mankind?

* Initiate the Way of the Beaver. Define the parameters in which employees can work independently, using their own talents, problem solving and decision making skills.

* Finally, put the Gift of the Goose into play. Establish both formal and informal methods of congratulations and encouragement.