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Contents Acknowledgments iii Foreward v Praise for WALK THE TALK ix Introduction 1 The Rehearsal 7 The Value of  Values 15 The Conflict of  Contradictions 27 The Wonder of  Walking The Talk 49 The Vision 71 The Speech 79 Epilogue 99 Words To Live By      A Collection of  Quotations 101 How Well Does Your Organization WALK THE TALK?      A Walk The Talk Survey 107 i

Foreword by Ken Blanchard My wife Marjorie and I have long preached the value of  walking your talk. It seemed so much easier years ago when  we  were  just  starting  a  seminar  business.  But  as business  at  The  Ken  Blanchard  Companies  has  grown greatly over the years, we have discovered how hard it is to practice daily what we preach. We all struggle with the same basic issues in business: how to get our group to perform like a team; how to hire, retain,  and  manage  productive  people;  how  to  be  more profitable; and how to be in sync with our mission, vision, and values. Surely there exists a little Don Quixote in us all. In our corporate  lives  we  seek  solutions  to  the  challenges  of competition,   downsizing,   delegation,   quality,   and corporate integrity. On occasion, something comes along that clears our minds and lights our paths. Someone looks anew   at   the   ordinary   and   transforms   it   into   the extraordinary. Eric Harvey and Al Lucia have done just that with their masterfully  written  book, Walk The Talk.  Don’t  jump  to v

conclusions  when  you  read  the  title.  Don’t  assume  you already understand the concept. As a veteran proponent of the virtues of  empowerment, integrity, and quality, I found Walk The Talk to be an “ah-ha” experience. It helped me and Marjorie to put all our concerns for quality and equity in a valuable new perspective. Harvey  and  Lucia  have  used  a  magical  allegory  to translate difficult concepts and corporate contradictions into   personal   convictions.   Through   the   character   of Clarence, a delightfully mysterious janitor, they invite you into the process of personal discovery so gently that you volunteer for the assignment. So much has been written and spoken about “walking the talk” and with good reason. I firmly believe that it is the very essence of what today’s management must adopt as the credo of  choice, so I wanted this book to live up to its title. It does! It is a “fast read.” The lively episode lasts roughly an hour. And in the pages of this clever story lie great insights. Harvey and Lucia have shown us how to blend values and ideals into daily practice. Walk The Talk asks us to look inside — inside ourselves and inside the workings of our organizations. It invites us to  slow  down  and  take  stock  of  our  resources.  We  are challenged to become cultivators of the rich resource of  people, their fertile minds and hidden talents. It espouses honesty and integrity but goes even deeper — calling us to be better stewards of both our corporate and individual lives. vi Walk The Talk

Walk The Talk is a book about living out our convictions and dealing with our contradictions. Whether the deed or the company is large or small, there is little that goes un- noticed. Delegating, empowering, and turning your beliefs into practice are all integral to walking the talk. I invite you to take your own journey through the pages of Walk The Talk and discover its value for your own life. Ken Blanchard, co-author of  The One Minute Manager Series and is chairman of  The Ken Blanchard Companies. vii Foreward

Introduction Since   1977,   we’ve   had   the   opportunity   to   help hundreds   of    organizations   achieve   success   through Ethical Leadership and Values-Based Business Practices. We’ve   learned   that   most   organizations   talk   good management. Mission statements, values, and operating beliefs can be found everywhere from corporate lobbies and conference rooms to employee handbooks and annual reports, and serve as reminders of what the organization stands for, what it’s about. To be sure, these public displays of good intentions are important and admirable. But the true worth of beliefs and values comes from the extent to which they are practiced rather than merely professed. At first glance, this idea may seem  obvious.  Its  apparent  simplicity,  however,  can  be truly misleading. Walking the talk — acting in accordance with  our  beliefs  and  values  —  is  one  of  the  greatest challenges each of us faces every day. It’s true in all aspects of  life, from family and religion to sports and politics, and it’s especially true in business. Our intent in writing this book is to help you understand and successfully meet that ever-present challenge. 1

Through  our  work,  we’ve  discovered  that  conflicts between practices and stated values most often occur in the “people   side”   of    business.   Left   unaddressed,   these conflicts can have devastating effects on an organization. Confusion   and   mistrust   are   the   natural,   logical consequences of  words and actions that are not in sync. It only takes a few values violations to render the majority of  our “we believe” statements impotent and our leadership credibility nonexistent. It’s tough enough to compete with external forces without having to do battle with internal inconsistencies  as  well.  Understanding  how  our  actions either  support  or  contradict  our  messages  is  critical  to success, be it individual or organizational. We’ve  been  told,  more  than  once,  that  this  book  is nothing  more  than  common  sense.  We  couldn’t  agree more.  The  importance  of  behaviors  being  in  sync  with stated beliefs is not a new idea. In fact, the phrase “walk the talk” is merely a modern-day adaptation of the old saying “practice  what  you  preach.”  But  as  we  progress  in  the twenty-first century, inundated with new technologies and the  resulting  information  overload,  it  occurs  to  us  that common  sense  seems  less  and  less  common.  It’s  all  too frequently discarded in favor of  quick fixes, fads, or the latest “program of  the year.” Common sense and maxims such as “walk the talk” survive because their inherent truth renders them timeless. Conflicts between our beliefs and our behaviors don’t just happen at work. Walking the talk can have dramatic 2 Walk The Talk

implications for our personal lives as well. A client (we’ll call him Paul) recently told us we owed him a trip to Las Vegas.  After  noting  the  puzzled  look  on  our  faces,  he explained. It seems that Paul had made plans to attend a business conference in Las Vegas, and, as any of  us would, saw it as an opportunity to tack on some leisure time at the end of  the trip. But when Paul informed his family of the dates he would be gone, his son reminded him those were the same dates he had promised to take the boy fishing. We can still remember what Paul said next. “I looked at my son, and I thought about walking the talk ... I canceled the trip to Las Vegas.” We’ve  been  sharing  the  benefits  of  being  in  sync  in business with clients and friends for years. But as we wrote this book and began to apply the principles to other areas of  our lives, even we were amazed at the significant impact of  truly living in alignment with our beliefs and values. Walk The Talk is a book about people, values, ethics, and   hidden   fortunes.   As   you   read,   you’ll   share   the experiences of a new CEO named Bill Elby and his very special teacher — a janitor named Clarence. Through an unsolicited,   behind-the-scenes   tour   of    his   Treeview Industries’   headquarters,   Bill   is   given   an   unusual opportunity   to   see   the   impact   of    values-conflicting behavior  on  the  performance  of  his  company.  While traveling this magical journey, Bill learns the secrets for achieving positive change and lasting results. 3 Introduction

We  know  your  time  is  valuable,  and  we  know  you expect a return on your investment of time and energy in reading this book. So we’d like to offer some suggestions to help you get the most from WalkTheTalk: 1.  Read  it  straight  through  from  cover  to  cover  for overall feel and enjoyment. 2. Read it a second time with a highlighter or pencil, making   notations   of    significant   points   and   personal challenges for both you and your organization. 3. Select two or three ideas that you personally would like to work on. After thirty days, review your list and note any changes in you or in others as a result of applying the principles presented in this book. 4.  Refer  to  the  section  titled  How  Well  Does  Your Organization WALK THE TALK? (page 107) for ideas and  strategies  to  help  you  spread  the  Walk  The  Talk message throughout your organization. Walking the talk is an end unto itself. It’s important simply   because   it   is   the   right   thing   to   do.   To   think otherwise is to question the very essence of integrity. But walking the talk is also a strategy — a means to an end. It’s important because values-driven practices lead to value- added results. To prove this, you need only examine the common-sense law of reciprocity: What goes around comes around.  Good  things  happen  when  you  make  sure  that values are lived. Our message for you is an emotional one — and that’s intentional. We believe when you capture people’s hearts, 4 Walk The Talk

their minds and actions will surely follow. Yes, you will find practical solutions in this book, but if that’s all you find  it  would  be  a  shame.  It  would  be  like  going  to  a symphony orchestra concert and only hearing the sounds without  experiencing  the  feelings  the  music  evokes.  We hope  this  book  will  enhance  your  knowledge,  but  even more, we hope it will enrich your life! We wish you good fortune on your continuing journey toward walking the talk, and we thank you for taking us along. We think you’ll discover what so many successful people have taught us over the years: When you walk like you talk, you get the results you want. Eric Harvey and Al Lucia 5 Introduction