KEN BLANCHARD, PhD
A teacher of simple truths
With a passion to turn every leader into a servant leader, Ken Blanchard shares his inspiring insights with audiences around the world through speeches, consulting services, and bestselling books. Universally characterized by his friends, colleagues, and clients as one of the most influential and compassionate leadership experts in the world, Ken is respected for his lifetime of groundbreaking research and thought leadership. In fact, few people have influenced the day-to-day management of people and companies more than Ken Blanchard.
He is the cofounder and Chief Spiritual Officer of The Ken Blanchard Companies®, an international management training and consulting firm that he and his wife, Margie Blanchard, established in 1979 in San Diego, California. In addition to being a renowned speaker and consultant, Ken is a former trustee emeritus of the Board of Trustees at his alma mater, Cornell University, and he also teaches students in the Master of Science in Executive Leadership Program at the University of San Diego.
Ken’s impact as an author is far reaching. The One Minute Manager®—the iconic 1982 classic that he coauthored with Spencer Johnson—sold more than 13 million copies and in 2015 was revised and released as The New One Minute Manager®. Ken has authored or coauthored 65 books whose combined sales total more than 28 million copies. His groundbreaking works—including Raving Fans, The Secret, and Leading at a Higher Level, to name just a few—have been translated into 47 languages. In 2005 Ken was inducted into Amazon’s Hall of Fame as one of the top 25 bestselling authors of all time.
Ken has received many awards and honors for his contributions in the fields of management, leadership, and speaking, including:
- The Council of Peers Award of Excellence from the National Speakers Association (highest honor)
- Induction into the HRD Hall of Fame by Training magazine and Lakewood Conferences
- The golden Gavel Award from Toastmasters International
- The Thought Leadership Award by ISA–The Association of Learning Providers.
Born in New Jersey and raised in New York, Ken received his master’s degree from Colgate University and his bachelor’s and doctorate degrees from Cornell University. He lives with his wife, Margie, and their beloved dog, Joy, in San Diego, California.