Meet Fred.

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.

Customer Rating:
Summary: Service the "Fred" Way
Comment: In the spirit of Ken Blanchard ("One Minute Manager" series and others) and John G. Miller ("QBQ: The Question Behind the Question"), Mark Sanborn has written a great little book about the ordinary, everyday people who choose to do the little extra things for and in service of others. Sanborn calls these extraordinary ordinary people "Freds," in honor of the mailman who first inspired him to notice, respect, and share with the world how special these people are and how common-sense and important it can be for each of us to strive to be a Fred.

The book is divided into four logical and sequential parts: What's a Fred?, Becoming a Fred, Developing Other Freds, and For the Love of Fred. In the first part, Sanborn introduced the four "Fred Principles," which were constantly reinforced throughout the rest of the book with quotes, real-life anecdotes, and thought-provoking insights and discussion. Sanborn, with his direct and easy-to-read writing style, clearly showed that the best thing about these principles - Everyone Makes a Difference; Success Is Built on Relationships; You Must Continually Create Value for Others, and It Doesn't Have to Cost A Penny; and You Can Reinvent Yourself Regularly - is that everybody is capable of living them with just a little focused effort and reflection. Another very powerful passage for me at the end of the book were Fred's answers to Sanborn's question, "Why do you do what you do?"

I would easily place this book near the top of my list of "must read" service, leadership, and character-refinement books. I highly encourage everyone to invest time within the pages of this little gem, and get inspired and motivated to become more `Fred-like.'

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Customer Rating:
Summary: I want to be a FRED!
Comment: And after reading this book, who wouldn't want to be? Mark Sanborn writes that his postal carrier, by going above and beyond in Mark's eyes, truly inspired him. The book goes on to talk about how everyone can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. Fred the mail carrier, achieves this without even knowing it! The book is well written and very thought provoking! I have also had the pleasure of hearing Mark speak in person. He sure has a WOW factor to his performance! Mark inspires an invitiation to greatness in work, home, and community. Making the world a better place.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Are you a Fred?
Comment: 'The Fred Factor' is a motivational book which uses many examples of outstanding customer service as well as outstanding generosity the author has experienced in everyday life to provide models of how we can change the world in small, simple ways. I enjoyed reading the book and it urged me to improve the way I interact with people I encounter every day. I especially recommend the book to anyone who has a job involving customer service in any way, as the book is highly focused on dealing with customers and coworkers. My only criticism is for the author to focus less on the customer service aspect of being 'Fred-like' and to be more in-depth on how 'Fredness' can be applied to living life. However, I would recommend this book to anyone, regardless of employment, and believe it can change the way people view their everyday life. It is a very motivational read it is easy to understand and apply the suggestions in the book to anyone's life.

Another leadership fable that I love is Squawk!: How to Stop Making Noise and Start Getting Results

Squawk!: How to Stop Making Noise and Start Getting Results

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Customer Rating:
Summary: The Fred Factor
Comment: The Fred Factor is an absolute read for anyone anywhere. It not only motivates you as a leader but changes the way you think about your job. I have given it to workers who complain a lot or who constantly want praise for what they do. Fred does his job because he views it as a leader servant seeking to make the world a better place. So refreshing. We have a UPS driver that is retiring after 30 years (22 with us) and we will be presenting him with a copy of this book. He is our Fred.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Positive Results From Fred
Comment: In 2007, I had an organization that was struggling. As a HR professional, the company asked if I would conduct leadership training for the site. The class was small at only 4 participants so I was able to give them my full attention. As part of the curriculum, I included Mark Sanborn's book, The Fred Factor.

One of the participants was really enthused about the book. Weeks and months after the class, he would approach me during my visits to point our "Fred" related things that he had accomplished. Indeed, he bought the book for all of his managers and they formed a loosely knit "Fred" club.

My review and recommendations for this book boils down to this. Of the 4 participants, only one remains. That is the, as I call him, "Fred Head". Not only is he still gainfully employed, he was been promoted not once but twice!

I highly recommend this book. Michael L. Gooch, SPHR Author of
Wingtips with Spurs

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