Mark SanbornAnmeldelser

In his powerful book The Fred Factor, motivational speaker Mark Sanborn recounts the true story of Fred, the mail carrier who passionately loves his job and who genuinely cares about the people he serves. Because of that, he is constantly going the extra mile while handling the mail, and sometimes watching over the houses, of the people on his route, treating everyone he meets as a friend. Where others might see delivering mail as monotonous drudgery, Fred sees an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of those he serves.

We've all encountered people like Fred in our lives. In The Fred Factor, Mark Sanborn illuminates the simple steps each of us can take to transform our own lives from the ordinary into the extraordinary. Through stories about Fred and others like him, Sanborn reveals four basic "how to" principles that will help us bring fresh energy and creativity to our life and work: how to make a real difference everyday, how to become more successful by building strong relationships, how to create real value for others without spending a penny, and how to constantly reinvent yourself.

By following these principles, and by learning from and teaching other "Freds", you too can excel in your career and make your life extraordinary. As Mark Sanborn makes clear, each of us has the potential be a Fred. The Fred Factor shows you how.

This probably won’t be a long review, but that’s not to knock its worth. In terms of flavor, it’s a rather Colorado-y kind of book, and so kinda ‘American’, if that word can be tied down, rather than whatever the opposite would be, if we can get one image of that, (obvs we can’t lol), although it’s that Mountain West at its best, when it’s not sucked into weird conspiracy theories, and really just wants to keep people practical and productive. Although I looked it up and Colorado actually leans blue slightly, and so it’s not that stereotypical Mountain West I guess. Mark’s also a very accomplished person who travels a lot, although he comes off as very relatable.

Anyway, he touches on different things, like networking and leadership, having and being an employee, and various different success topics, but basically I think it’s kinda a general success habits and principles book, like the Slight Edge; actually it might even be more famous than that other book, but I heard of Jeff before Mark…. I don’t know; I’ll keep this book around. I used to number the passages in books like Leonard Jacobson and Eckhart Tolle, and refer to random ones, but now I’m so good at calmness I kinda accept less than God’s best, so I think I’ll start to number passages in this book and refer to them randomly, instead.

It’s not the sort of book that should be judged based on how complicated it is, or how many ‘interesting things’ you can say about it.

…. Feel good, and make other people feel good. Never neglect people or make them feel inferior.

…. I actually think now that I’ll give this book away, at some point.

It is kinda like the “non-specific” 😉—version of “Lean In”: “Lean In”, from what I’ve read, is like, “women can work like men, and get ahead like anybody else”, right: this is like, “we can ALL work like men; I’m sorry, like a guy named Fred, 😉—was Fred a guy? Yeah, what a coin-ki-dink, right. Well, I guess that men-at-work are an inspiration to all the children, right….

—I can’t pay for this anymore. Take it back.
—“Take it back?” Fuck you! You don’t know as much about this industry as I do, mister: it’s almost like you work somewhere else! Well, now you’re going to pay for that Bad Decision.
—But I can’t pay.
—Well, fuck you! We’ll punish you, and so you’ll pay even more!
—How can I pay even more? What am I supposed to do?
—I don’t know: and I don’t care—(calls) Someone bring me the hot iron!

~Yeah, like, glorifying men at work without talking about what it’s really like for either the majority, or at the very least, more men than are the “Truly Positive, Pro-Social Man At Work”, right…. And the other thing, that does relate to Fred specifically, is that the author praised him for hanging around the postal route on his day off, and it’s like…. Does Fred have no family or friends? Does he not want to read books/improve himself, or even just have fun? Is he a good worker because his work is the, “One Thing In My Life That Works”?

(shrugs) Yeah: this was one of the first “work” books I read, which is why I got so naive about it, right…. Being naive about people just because they make money isn’t much better than hating-successful-people-no-matter-what-they’re-like…. But yeah: life is not all your woo-woo philosophy person you know, who’s like…. I love you all so much: I’m going to leave you all a vague philosophical letter only I understand, when I die, and no money!…. You guys didn’t expect money, did you?…. ~But life is also not, I don’t know: Well, EYE have a job: so go fuck yourself, mister! ~right?…. It is toxic masculinity, so to speak, but ironically it’s at least as damaging to other men, right: the trad wife hides behind the Pepsi machine and shoos her husband, like, You talk to him; I’m afraid of shit, right…. You know: dysfunction doesn’t help anybody—and neither does being naive/avoidant about dysfunction, no matter how well meaning, right.

Great, inspirational story that helps you have faith in humanity again. Who wouldn't want to be a Fred?

Nice book about keeping things in perspective during all of life's ups and downs. Clearly written from a Christian perspective, but not preachy at all. It also includes points and helps that are not from "Christian" sources (gasp), but quite relevant and helpful. The tips include success tips for your personal life as well as your business.

The Fred Factor is an inspiring reminder that we can all find ways to work with passion and, as a result, foster extraordinary relationships and service experiences. This short book is packed with real examples, often involving people who could choose to view their delivery routes and late shift work as drudgery. Instead, they have found ways to elevate the experiences of everyone they meet. It would be hard to finish this book without motivation to raise your game in some way.

Great and inspirational book on how even the most mundane job can be turned into extraordinary experiences by the individual delivering the service and those who are experiencing the service being delivered. The book describes how Fred the postman has so much pride and passion in his job that he not only does his job really well but goes over and above to deliver a service that can only be described as extraordinary. The book gives many examples of how to emulate Fred in our everyday lives.

Great book! It's one of those books every employer should give to their employee when they commence work at their company. You also apply it to your personal life as well.

What a great book explaining why people are invited back to talk, or why people are given raise or why they are not--not every single book has everything I agree about, but that is why i did not write the book...I see this book and feel this book is a great benefit to mid level management, or a college grad--but, on the flip side a more veteran manager may need to understand why we explain and train people below us.. I think that Mark Sanborn did an excellent job through resources, statements and analogies to show his theory.

As self help books go this was standard fare. Book club read, left that book club behind.½

Description:
Up, Down, or Sideways is a self-help book dedicated to helping you get through your up, down, and sideways struggles in life and success. In today's economy, as unpredictable and scary as it may seem, Mark Sanborn shows you how to take control of your life and career, no matter how uncontrollable the present and future seem.

Review:
I am sort of a closet fan of reading other people's opinions on how to live life to the fullest. So, when I got the opportunity to read Mark Sanborn's new book, I grabbed it. At first glance, I noted the simplicity of the overall design, bright enough to draw your attention, but styled in a very professional way. I think that this setup gets more attention in the self-help/motivation genre because people want a certain level of professionalism; especially if the book is supposed to help them in some way. As for content, I liked Mark Sanborn's philosophies and realistic perspective on life. I felt like he was talking just to me, almost like we were going through the same things, or some variation. I enjoyed his tips and methods for getting through life's unpredictable times and optimistically dealing with personal economics; his own experiences were included which I thought was a plus. The sections on optimism and gratitude were particularly eye-opening, and all the material could be applied to any public, private, or work relationship. I have found myself practicing some of the skills he described, including learning from other people's mistakes and accepting "good shoulds". Overall, I was pleased with Mark Sanborn's take on life and success, and I may even pick up his other books.

Rating: On the Run (4/5)

*** I received this book from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

The Fred Factor is very powerful and rather short book written by a motivational speaker named Mark Sanborn. Most of the book is based on accounts he witnessed of his mail carrier, Fred. The author gives specific accounts of how Fred made the best and the most of his career – always going the extra mile. A co-worker and friend recently told me in order to be happy and feel accomplished, we must “bloom where we are planted”. I feel this expression totally suits the concept of being a “Fred” and this fine story.

The book also explains that we probably know some “Fred’s” already – using the name of his mail carrier to describe one who goes the extra mile, one who is kind, generous and friendly. He turned his every day career (which could be boring or repetitive) into an exciting adventure. The message conveyed I feel is to think of how the world would be if we went the extra mile for others or gave a little more. He also describes the composition of what he calls “a Fred”- saying he’s a Fred, she’s a Fred, be a fried, they're a Fred – you get the point.

This is definitely a book for the business professional or manager to read – the reason I picked it up. It is truly motivational and gets you thinking. It can also be labeled as self help, as the book really made me revisit the person that I am and the person I would ideally like to be. I highly recommend that every business professional read this book. I have tried exporting some of the concepts in the book and implement them in my life. I felt so good about myself and the situation that I could create by simply putting out what I want to receive through energy and attitude.

A couple years ago, while I was downrange, I read a book that really was a motivation to many of the decisions I have made since I read it. I got busy, as sometimes happens downrange—then moved from Germany, etc—and I keep recalling this book as important, as well as the review of it.
Mark Sanborn’s book, “Encore Effect” was monumental in telling me that I can achieve my dreams through diligence and focus. This idea was somewhat foreign to me, as I was “living the dream” in the Army—but there is so much I still want to achieve in the Army and beyond.
Preparation is one of the key underlying themes within the book that shows me that it is the effort that one places toward a goal that assists the person to achieve that goal.
This is an encouragement to spend your life focused on what you enjoy doing. Some would add that doing so is not always possible, but I would offer that it is—you may not like little details of the moment—but you must find what you enjoy and do it—because that is where you will be most successful. Even if you are in a job that you particularly do not enjoy—find an aspect that you can pour your passions into and focus on that.
I definitely recommend Mark Sanborn’s book, “Encore Effect” to be a motivator—as it was to me—of developing the skills needed to receive an “encore” every time you perform.

I like this book. I think that Mark Sanborn has a good point. We are all leaders and we can and do influence others. It is inspiring. So just be a good incluence and presto you are a leader whether you have a title or not.

This book is about a letter carrier who inspired Sanborn. Fred demonstrates the qualities of a servant with a heart. Sanborn writes about the difference we could all make in the lives of others as well as ourselves by going beyond what is expected in our service. This book is short and to the point, an easy read.

A very light common-sense approach to leadership which can basically be summed up by: you will reap what you sow. The examples he gives are ordinary and not particularly eye-opening about good teachers and engaged employees. There are no real tools, nor any principles. It is however simple, easy to read and a nice reminder of how to act on a daily basis.½

I would classify this book as a self-help/motivation/inspiration title. Several yrs ago I attended a teleconference by mark Sanborn and his presentation was on the Fred factor. I finally picked up the book and I'm glad I did. This is a short, quick read but it gets straight to the point with out a lot of mumbo jumbo and psycoanalysis on how we can improve ourselves. Sanborn lays out the book clean and consise with a smooth flow of ideas and points to consider. Anyone that enjoys improving themselves and others will surely like this book.

I've read several self help books in the past and, to be honest, this reads just like most of the others. A lot of this is common sense at best. I'm not exactly sure what, if anything, I was supposed to get out of the book. It was a fast read though.

As it happens, I was feeling slightly lethargic and dispirited when I picked up this book, and had spent a few days procrastinating about working on my second novel. So what could be better than a self-help book to get me going? Well, perhaps a sharp, pointed stick. It would certainly have been more effective. And the stick might even have contained more original ideas than this collection of bog-standard self-help advice.

The premise of the book is that you succeed in life by being remarkable - a circular argument from the start, and an odd one since there's nothing remotely remarkable about this book -- in fact, it seems to have been written on self-help autopilot.

Nevertheless, that's the argument. And the secret of achieving remarkable performance is to use lots of words beginning with P: Preparation, Practice, Presentation, Polishing, and avoiding Pitfalls. And if that's not enough Ps for you, you can always refer to the Pyramid of Possibility, which has Personalization at the top, Potential at the bottom, Person and Performance along the sides, and Purpose, Passion, Principles and Persistence in the middle. The whole thing reminded me of an episode of Sesame Street.

There are, of course, plenty of anecdotes about people who sing while they prepare sandwiches, or tell jokes as they work at the cash register, etc. All remarkable performances that can inspire us to greater things. God, I wish I wasn't so cynical sometimes. Speaking of God, this is a religious book. It came as a surprise to me too. From the outside it looks like a normal business self-help book, bought by middle managers who want to know how to be Bill Gates. But in the prologue it suddenly starts talking about "our duty as Christians." That was a bit abrupt, and initially offputting, but actually the "Christian" bits were the best, I thought. I particularly loved a quote from St. Benedict: "Nothing can damage me except myself." That really hit me somehow, and it was almost worth wading through the rest of the book to get to it. Also, at the end of each chapter is a little passage called an "Intersection" where he tries to tie his advice about giving a remarkable sales presentation into some passage from the book of John. I quite liked those bits, and they gave the book another dimension. That still left it flat, but at least two is better than one.

Anyway, by the time I got to page 116, I was still feeling lethargic and still procrastinating about my work. So I was delighted to be reading a list of Preventable Pitfalls (those Ps again!) and see "3. Lethargy or Procrastination". Perfect! I wanted to learn how to rid myself of these pitfalls. Here's what he says: "What is the antidote to lethargy? Energy. The ability to get work done. Energy infuses a good performance with the something extra that can make it great."

That, in a nutshell, is what's wrong with the book. It states the obvious, and then restates the obvious as a way of achieving the obvious. Our goal is a remarkable performance, and we do this by performing remarkably. We avoid lethargy by having more energy. Other examples: "The antidote to fear is confidence", "The antidote to complacency is commitment", "The antidote to apathy is concern." Perhaps Mark Sanborn is just so full of energy, commitment, concern, etc., that it doesn't occur to him to tell the rest of us how to acquire them. If you are like me, and sometimes wake up and just feel like staying in bed for the rest of your life, then you'll find nothing in this book to help you be more like Mark Sanborn. You'll find plenty of cheerleading, and some of the general all-American positiveness might even rub off on you. But for actual concrete steps, you're on your own. Perhaps that's why they call it "self"-help.

OK Rick Warren, Move over! Mark Sanborn has taken your good ideas to new heights!

Using a format similar to The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, Sanborn has created this simple, common sense guide to becoming the best! Whether you are a plumber or a PhD department chair, you will find a map to achieving the "Encore Effect". Particularly enjoyable is Sanborn's "Intersections" where he presents succinct examples of Biblical text to demonstrate that these are not new principals. Whether you take a purely historical view of these wonderful "Biblical codas" for each chapter, or read them from a Judeo-Christian perspective, Sanborn gives us a link to documented examples of the principles presented in each chapter. I recommend this book as a "must read" for all folks, even "Fred" the postman! I'm passing the book on to a minister who works with youth in our community!

Mark Sanborn's book is not long (136 pages) but his message is clear - to achieve remarkable performace takes commitment , a passion for what your are doing and time. He provides an easy to follow guide with his "pyramid of Possiblity" and a way of approaching life, goals, work, family etc which can lead to a remarkable performance - the Encore Effect. Do certain things and you will achieve a certain effect.
At the end of each chapter he provides a brief "Interlude" which relates that chapter to christian values and gives examples from the Bible, although the book loses none of its value if these "interludes" are of no relevance to the reader.

I enjoyed this book for what it was but, as it goes with "self-help" type books (the ones that are actually helpful, that is), it's nothing more than common sense put on paper.

At the start the book seemed tantalising however after finishing it it read very similar to other self help books, a lot of common sense spaced with anecdotes.

This book was okay. It was required reading assigned by my boss. I thought some parts were slow and uninteresting while other parts I quite enjoyed and found to be very inspiring and true. In fact, the parts I really enjoyed seemed to be the shortest and I wish he had expanded on them. Principle 1 of Leadership: The Power of Self-Mastery, in particular. I'll probably reread this book some time in the future.

In the tradition of great public speakers, this is the book version of Mark Sanborn's great speech that he has honed over hundreds of presentations. He has mined this idea and crystallized the ideas into a bit more than 100 pages.

The idea is a sound one. Live the life that you have with a passion. In an age that requires you to drip ennui, "been there, done that, go the T-shirt", Mark argues that a life lived with energy and for the right reasons will pay off with a joy that ennui can never approximate.

Fred the Postman is who we would all like to meet. We want him to be our postman, our waiter, our boss, our co-worker. He makes us feel better about life. Sanborn argues implicitly that "being a Fred" not only pays off for those Fred touches, but for Freds themselves.

Surrounded by a world that values so much sexual passion (though highly idealized and stilited into unreality), it is funny that we reward the world-weary attitude toward everything that lies outside of the bedroom. And we have discovered that we are happy neither in life nor in the bedroom. This disconnect is at the root of all sorts of unhappiness and evil.

Tolstoy discovered it when he saw the happiness of the peasants that he so longed for. Solomon saw it and commented on it in Ecclesiates. There is great joy in a job well done, people enlightened by our presence. Challenge yourself to do it that way.½

In his powerful new book THE FRED FACTOR, motivational speaker Mark Sanborn recounts the true story of Fred, the mail carrier who passionately loves his job and who genuinely cares about the people he serves. Because of that, he is constantly going the extra mile handling the mail – and sometimes watching over the houses – of the people on his route, treating everyone he meets as a friend. Where others might see delivering mail as monotonous drudgery, Fred sees an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of those he serves.

We’ve all encountered people like Fred in our lives. In THE FRED FACTOR, Mark Sanborn illuminates the simple steps each of us can take to transform our own lives from the ordinary – into the extraordinary. Sanborn, through stories about Fred and others like him, reveals the four basic principles that will help us bring fresh energy and creativity to our life and work: how to make a real difference everyday, how to become more successful by building strong relationships, how to create real value for others without spending a penny, and how to constantly reinvent yourself.

By following these principles, and by learning from and teaching other “Freds,” you, too, can excel in your career and make your life extraodinary. As Mark Sanborn makes clear, each of us has the potential be a Fred.THE FRED FACTOR shows you how.