Reviews: Book Review - High Five! - The Magic of Working Together, by Ken Blanchard & Sheldon Bowles

Reviews: Book Review - High Five! - The Magic of Working Together, by Ken Blanchard & Sheldon Bowles.
Reviewer’s Name: Manish Singhal
Date, Place: 6th October 2004, Bangalore, India.

High Five! - The Magic of Working Together
Ken Blanchard & Sheldon Bowles

Publisher, Year, No. of Pages, Price: HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 2001, USD 20.00
Topic: Misc: Teamwork.
ISBN Number: 0-688-17036-6

Review:
High Five! The Magic of Working together is a must read. Grounded in one of Ken and Sheldon’s new acronyms, P.U.C.K. and the P.E.R.F.O.R.M. model in our ‘Building High Performing Teams’ process, this book parallels the quality of any in the field of teamwork / self development.

High Five! combines the spellbinding charm of a timeless parable with cutting-edge information about why teams are important and what individuals and organizations can do to build successful ones.

Through the story of Alan Foster, a workplace one-man band, High Five! identifies the four key ingredients of winning teams. Although Alan is an effective producer, he is unwilling to share the spotlight by partnering on projects and is fired because, as his boss puts it, “Alan, we need good producers who are good team players, too.” It is a bitter pill for him to swallow.

While mulling over his disappointment, he takes his son to his grade-five hockey practice, where it is clear that his son’s team, the Riverbend Warriors, knows nothing about teamwork, either. When the team's two overworked coaches learn of Alan's plight, they persuade him to join their ranks, and he finds himself charged with teaching himself and the players the meaning of teamwork. With the help of a woman friend - a former girls’ basketball coach who has “won more high school basketball championships than anyone” - Alan and the Warriors learn the magic of teamwork and that “none of us is as smart as all of us.”

With its simple style and easy-to-follow techniques, High Five! is a must-read for anyone seeking to learn the value and power of teamwork.

Rating: Very Good.