Whale Done!

The Power of Positive Relationships

By: Ken Blanchard

Narrated by: Tony Roberts

Length: 2 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

What do employees and coworkers have in common with a five-ton killer whale? A whole lot more than you think, according to the mega-best-selling author Ken Blanchard and his coauthors from SeaWorld.

Whales respond best to positive reinforcement. So do humans. In this moving and inspirational audiobook, Blanchard explains how using the techniques of animal trainers - specifically those responsible for the killer whales of SeaWorld - can supercharge your effectiveness at work and at home.

When gruff business manager and family man Wes Kingsley visited SeaWorld, he marveled at the ability of the trainers to lead huge killer whales in performing acrobatic leaps and dives. Later, talking to the chief trainer, he learned their techniques of building trust, accentuating the positive, and redirecting negative behavior - all of which make these extraordinary performances possible. Kingsley took a hard look at his own often accusatory management style and recognized how some of his shortcomings as a manager, spouse, and father actually diminish trust and damage relationships. He began to see the difference between "GOTcha" (catching people doing things wrong) and "Whale Done!" (catching people doing things right).

In Whale Done!, Ken Blanchard shows how positive reinforcement and redirection can help increase productivity. These techniques are remarkably easy to master and can be applied equally well at home, allowing listeners to become better parents and more committed spouses and have happier personal lives.

©2002 Kenneth Blanchard (P)2002 Simon & Schuster

Timeless

What did you learn from Whale Done! that you would use in your daily life?

I have read this book and listen to it on tape or audiobook more than three times each. Each time I appreciate it more more. It helps me to focus on what's right and positive with the people in my life and the situations in my life.

Great info

Great topics presented in an easy way to understand. Enjoyed this short and easy listen.

Must read for proper relationships!

What did you love best about Whale Done!?

How well it was read even though it is an educational book!

What did you like best about this story?

The keys are here to help people build relationships to prosper at home and at work.

What about Tony Roberts’s performance did you like?

Made it interesting to listen to an educational topic. Felt more like hearing a story instead of getting basics for building relationships.

What’s an idea from the book that you will remember?

That positive will over come negative and give you the results that you are seeking.

Any additional comments?

Pastors, teachers, people thinking of getting married, managers, and people with children should be required to read this book!

A very positive book.

If you could sum up Whale Done! in three words, what would they be?

Love is blind.The reason I used those three words is because when you first fall in love, you focus on the positive. You don't notice that your new boyfriend/girlfriend chews with his/her mouth open. You focus only on the positive. It's an excellent example used in the book to explain how positive reinforcement makes a difference in relationships.

Any additional comments?

This book offers very valuable advice on parenting! It's worth the time. I actually plan on listening again, just to make sure I don't forget the importance of positive reinforcement.

Repetitive and fairly boring.

Great life lesson but very repetitive and not at all engaging. For a Ken Blanchard book, I expected it to become a favorite, but not so much.

Amazingly Whale Done

The clever title suggested a fun read; the content was informative and presented in an entertaining manner! Whale done indeed!

Whale Done!

I absolutely love this book. What a great concept! A must read for anyone that has a business and or a relationship that they care about.

Immediate implementation methods

I LoVED this! From a psychologists point of view- this is dead on! As a foster parent, I used this method (without knowing I was) and it was much more affective than punishment discipline.

Eye Opening

Even before finishing the book, I had already discovered ways to apply these principles to my life. I can see progress at work and home. I am excited to find ways to give people a whale done!

Good Message However Somewhat Discomforting

The narrator did a great job, and I can tell this book has the best of intentions. Its overall message of looking for the good things people do has me reflecting on my own life and hoping to implement change. That being said, the book gives extremely high praise to Seaworld and its trainers. With recent news of the whales being drugged, starved, sick, and participating in self-harm, it is unsettling to listen to these praises. Since the book came out many years before these allegations, I'm willing to overlook these statements; however, I would caution anyone who listens to take Seaworld's portrayal with a grain of salt. Regardless of that, the audiobook was quick and informative.

its ok

Although the audio performance is consistent, the book takes a long to explain a fairly simplistic motivational theory. After the treatment by Seaworld of its animals has come to light in recent, the use of killer whales as a plot point is in poor taste in my opinion.