Foreword

Every once in awhile, the business world teeters off balance. This usually happens when events converge to create an absurd situation or incongruity. Invariably, an incongruity is a big opportunity. In the 1980s, the incongruity was that managers lacked a simple system for managing people. When the rubber met the road, most lacked the people skills needed to maximize performance. Along came The One Minute Manager® and suddenly millions of professionals had a book that simplified the management of people. Twenty years later, I’m thrilled that it continues to help managers manage and leaders lead. In the 1990s, the incongruity was that people lacked a simple strategy for managing change. This was absurd because the ’90s were a time of great upheaval in the business world. Along came Spencer Johnson’s Who Moved My Cheese?® and suddenly millions of professionals had a book that simplified the management of change. Today, the incongruity is that you’re asked to process more information, particularly email, than is humanly possible. Each day you multitask your way through an avalanche of disorganized, unstructured information. It’s a stressful world filled with uncertainty and interruptions. That said, I have some very good news. Just when you need it most, along comes The Hamster Revolution with four highly effective strategies for simplifying the management of information.

The Hamster Revolution

You’ll love this book for three reasons:

1. It Works: The Hamster Revolution contains practical and proven insights that will make you more effective the next time you sit down at your computer.

2. It’s a Valuable Guide for Leaders: Email now consumes a quarter of the day for the typical professional. If you aspire to be a great leader or team player, you have to develop a strategy for managing email. The Hamster Revolution provides clear guidance on how to do just that.

3. It’s Fast and Fun: Let me guess —you’re busy, right? Sometimes you barely have time to think, let alone read a long book filled with thousands of tips. Relax. You can read this book in about 90 minutes. The authors focus on “a small number of high-impact email insights.” You’re going to smile when you meet the book’s star: Harold. He’s a funny guy and in some ways, he’ll remind you… of you.

I’d like to congratulate you for being here, right now in this moment. You’ve envisioned something that many of your colleagues and competitors have yet to discover: You can’t unlock your fullest potential when you and your team are drowning in email. It’s time to address the incongruity of email overload. It’s time for the next big revolution to begin. So cue the lights and quiet on the set. Here comes Harold and The Hamster Revolution!

Ken Blanchard
Co-author, The One Minute Manager®
The Hamster Revolution