The Fred Factor
- Downloads：6750
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-27 11:52:56
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Mark Sanborn
- ISBN：184413816X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Mark Sanborn met his postman， Fred， just after he moved to Denver。 Fred knocked on his door， introduced himself and welcomed him to the neighbourhood。 He also asked Sanborn about himself and how he wanted his mail handled while he was away。 Needless to say， Sanborn was shocked。 He asked Fred more about his job and how he approached it。 Fred's answers inspired him to develop motivational seminars promoting Fred's attitude and approach to life。 To embody the Fred philosophy is to realise and practise that:--Everyone can make a difference--Success is built on good relationships--You must continually create value for others and it doesn't have to cost anything--You can reinvent yourself whenever you want。 In this succinct and inspiring guide， Sanborn shows us how we can all truly make a difference everyday and become a 'Fred'， as well as how to recognise， reward and attract Freds into our lives。
Reviews
Hannah Thornton
，
I loved this quick audiobook！ It was extremely short compared to most audiobooks but what it did not have in length， it made up for in depth （for the most part）。 This is not a major leadership development book but I would say it’s a great book to encourage your team members to read as you start to develop them into new leaders。 It’s worth the read and it does make you consider giving yourself a check every now and again。
Shane
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Short， with some semi-valuable advice。 I say semi-valuable because it really seems like some pretty self evident advice。 Worth the quick read maybe。
Liza Wiemer
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This book was recommended to me by one of our village employees， someone I've known since shortly after we moved to this area over 26 years ago。 He called me a "Fred" and said that I had to read this book。 Without a doubt， HE is a Fred - someone who goes the extra mile to help others。 This is a fast and a meaningful read about treating people with extra care and the very best customer service， going out of your way to help others。 One of the messages is that there shouldn't be "random acts of ki This book was recommended to me by one of our village employees， someone I've known since shortly after we moved to this area over 26 years ago。 He called me a "Fred" and said that I had to read this book。 Without a doubt， HE is a Fred - someone who goes the extra mile to help others。 This is a fast and a meaningful read about treating people with extra care and the very best customer service， going out of your way to help others。 One of the messages is that there shouldn't be "random acts of kindness" but kindness ALL THE TIME！ If you're looking for a "pick-me-up" and have a half-hour or an hour to read， then this is a great little book that packs a positive message！ 。。。more
Rob
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Quick， motivational read。 Fun concept as the author models great customer service and a positive attitude based on his postman， Fred。 I do like the overall message。 Like most of these type of books。。。 the core content could have been communicated in half the pages。 Solid read， particularly as it is only about 100 pages。
Arie van Gemeren
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It was ok。 Follow the golden rule， and be passionate about what you do。 It felt like the book was unnecessarily long for the message sent。
Maria Alejandra Gutiérrez Hernández
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Como transformar todo: “Hasta la acción más ordinaria se vuelve extraordinaria cuando le ponemos corazón”
Anna
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Worth the quick easy read。
Steve
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The author's big-hearted postman， Fred， inspires the author and gives a framework to talk about excellent customer service for his motivational speaking career。I typically would not have selected this book， but it was loaned to me by a friend who is a postman。 He was given book by one of the people on his route with an expression of thanks that my friend exhibited the same qualities。 The author's big-hearted postman， Fred， inspires the author and gives a framework to talk about excellent customer service for his motivational speaking career。I typically would not have selected this book， but it was loaned to me by a friend who is a postman。 He was given book by one of the people on his route with an expression of thanks that my friend exhibited the same qualities。 。。。more
Nicole
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Really enjoyed this book and the message that it really can be easy to make a difference in someone's day。 There were many takeaways for me and I think it is a good read for anyone trying to improve their way of life。 It all starts with you and it doesn't need to cost money to uplift or impact someone else。 That goes for coworkers and your personal relationships。 I was given this book because they believed I am a Fred and after finishing the book， what a kind compliment！ Really enjoyed this book and the message that it really can be easy to make a difference in someone's day。 There were many takeaways for me and I think it is a good read for anyone trying to improve their way of life。 It all starts with you and it doesn't need to cost money to uplift or impact someone else。 That goes for coworkers and your personal relationships。 I was given this book because they believed I am a Fred and after finishing the book， what a kind compliment！ 。。。more
Kelsey
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Short but packed a punch。 A great inspirational read about making the most of any situation or day。
Liz
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This is a great motivational book！ It was required reading for work， but I would definitely recommend it to anyone！ So much useful information。
Kenneth Sowers
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An excellent short read on things you can do today to improve your customer service and your business
Chris
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This is an awesome book about having a positive and service attitude about work。I highly recommend this book。
Julie Bestry
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"Business" books like this tend to be long on narratives and soft advice， designed more than anything to get you to talk about the book so that whatever company or association for which you work will hire the author for a speaking engagement。 I'm sure that when Sanborn wrote this book， it was at least a consideration。 But he wrote it more than 16 years ago， and people are still reading it。Why？ Because something resonates in a book like this， which is about being a better human being rather than "Business" books like this tend to be long on narratives and soft advice， designed more than anything to get you to talk about the book so that whatever company or association for which you work will hire the author for a speaking engagement。 I'm sure that when Sanborn wrote this book， it was at least a consideration。 But he wrote it more than 16 years ago， and people are still reading it。Why？ Because something resonates in a book like this， which is about being a better human being rather than a more profitable one。 It's a business book， of sorts， but the advice can certainly be applied to all areas of life。 The key notion is that employing passion and enthusiasm for what you do， in a way that helps others， will make your own life better。I'll be honest， I read this because someone a friend was going to take it to the used book store unless I wanted to read it， and at only 112 pages， I suspected I could easily finish it off， even if I didn't like it。 To be honest， I was kind of expecting The Fred Factor to be about Mr。 （Fred） Rogers。 It wasn't – it's about Fred， the author's mailman – but it could easily have been about Fred Rogers。This simple book is about living your life – your work life， ostensibly， but your life life – with a generosity of spirit。 It's not couched in a religious perspective， and it's not designed to make you bend over backward to be a martyr。 It's just a nice， little book designed to accomplish a handful of things:1） Explain the concept of what a "Fred" is2） Explain how you can "become" a Fred through recognizing that a） everyone makes a difference， b） success is built on relationships， c） you can/should continually create value for others， and d） you should reinvent yourself rather than getting stale。3） How to develop Fred-like behaviors in others。In this last area， Sanborn focuses mostly on the business realm and how to help your direct reports improve themselves。 Yes， in theory， that'll be good for the business， but the goal is developing themselves; the greater financial good is really secondary， and that's refreshing。There's nothing surprising in this book， but after an era where we've seen leaders looking at everything from a "what's in it for me？" perspective， an era that's proven demoralizing and frustrating for citizens， workers， parents， so many others， there's something uplifting about reminding people of the dignity of doing well by doing good and of stepping up as a worker， as a friend， as a family member。 I like that the book particularly focuses on the fact that money is not essential for any of this。 It's just about doing more than the minimum， and doing it for the pride in making everything a little better。Sure， read this for business。 But I'd encourage people to share this with their scout troops， their mentees （I hate that word！ Why did we stop using the mentor/protégé pairing？）， their teenage children or nieces/nephews， high school and college grads， and anyone who is looking for an approach upon which to model themselves。Some naysayers had issues with things that some of the Freds did as being doormat kinds of behaviors （like the hotel staffer who personally laundered the author's coffee stained trousers because the laundry service was unavailable）。 Or they warned that being that nice to a customer could get employees in trouble （a movie theater patron who forgot her wallet was told she could pay next time， and was treated to snacks）。 But the author is not urging people to bend until they break or risk their jobs; he's merely giving examples of where a person's behavior wasn't about exemplary customer service but going the distance for making a fellow human being's life easier。This isn't a profound book; it is a book that could bring about a profound change if more people subscribed to the tenets。 It's a short， easy read。 。。。more
Cheryl Brewer
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Another self-help/success in your work and life book。 Lots of just common sense。。。when you have a good attitude about whatever it is you do， you are happier doing it and find more value in the job and yourself; when you serve others， you feel better; treat others like you would want to be treated。
Kris Marshall
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Recommended by Dr。 Tim Collins， the president of Walsh University， as the August book to read。 Well worth reading。 A heartfelt reminder to perform every daily event with passion and service to others with fun and love。 Take the time to be kind and helpful to every person we encounter。
Betty
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Enjoyed parts
Josh Trice
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A profound book with wisdom and insight beyond its pages。 This is a short read （110 pages）， but jammed packed with wisdom。 I recommend this book to managers， bosses， CEO's， workers， and people。 We all need to know how to live like Fred， to live with love。 In today's world， we could all use and give a little more love！ A profound book with wisdom and insight beyond its pages。 This is a short read （110 pages）， but jammed packed with wisdom。 I recommend this book to managers， bosses， CEO's， workers， and people。 We all need to know how to live like Fred， to live with love。 In today's world， we could all use and give a little more love！ 。。。more
Lisa
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When I first starting reading this I thought it was a bit cheesy。 Many quotes， advice and cliches I had heard before。 Then I got to chapter 8。 I loved it。 I work at a Bakery and I started thinking about what my specific gifts and talents are。 What do I bring to the Bakery？ I thought about ways I could improve。 It has made me happier as I try to got the extra mile in simple everyday tasks。I liked thinking about the "Fred's" in my life， the lady that works at Walgreens and is so kind， the young te When I first starting reading this I thought it was a bit cheesy。 Many quotes， advice and cliches I had heard before。 Then I got to chapter 8。 I loved it。 I work at a Bakery and I started thinking about what my specific gifts and talents are。 What do I bring to the Bakery？ I thought about ways I could improve。 It has made me happier as I try to got the extra mile in simple everyday tasks。I liked thinking about the "Fred's" in my life， the lady that works at Walgreens and is so kind， the young teenager that just talked as I went through the drive through at the Bagel Den。 Appreciating those I work with at the Bakery and the tremendous load they carry as Shop Owners in a small town。 Their example has been priceless to me。 They truly LOVE making food for people。 It has been special to see their commitment and love to serving and comforting others。 They ALWAYS make sure I am well fed。 If I ever say I'm hungry I have about 5 people asking me what they can make for me。SO in the end I shared this book with my family and will encourage them to be the Fred's！ At home， at work， at church， in the neighborhood， etc。 I am so very grateful for the Fred's of this world and will now continue to seek them out and recognize their efforts。Great read！！ 。。。more
Barbara Corton
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it was a nice light hearted book
Chelsea M
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I really enjoyed all of the examples of other people being “Fred’s” in their day to day lives！ Have to say my fave is the original postal man himself。 I found that this book made me ponder about Fred’s that I may know or have come across in the past。 I enjoyed the fact that it was short and an easy read。 Some parts I found repetitive， but that could be the authors strategy？Check out my video review for this book and others from the reading rush 2020！ https://youtu。be/kCsXE9_g55o I really enjoyed all of the examples of other people being “Fred’s” in their day to day lives！ Have to say my fave is the original postal man himself。 I found that this book made me ponder about Fred’s that I may know or have come across in the past。 I enjoyed the fact that it was short and an easy read。 Some parts I found repetitive， but that could be the authors strategy？Check out my video review for this book and others from the reading rush 2020！ https://youtu。be/kCsXE9_g55o 。。。more
Jenell
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Great ideas to make average day above average。
Shannon Radcliffe
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Maybe it's a me thing， but I almost never find self-help books insightful。 This book basically says "Go above and beyond for people" and takes 118 pages to do it。 The author also consistently praises the original Fred， a postal carrier， and deservedly so。 One of his main ideas is that everyone can make a difference， but then says things like "if even a postal carrier can have a good attitude" which comes across as superiority to me even if it isn't meant as such。 I also don't love the way the id Maybe it's a me thing， but I almost never find self-help books insightful。 This book basically says "Go above and beyond for people" and takes 118 pages to do it。 The author also consistently praises the original Fred， a postal carrier， and deservedly so。 One of his main ideas is that everyone can make a difference， but then says things like "if even a postal carrier can have a good attitude" which comes across as superiority to me even if it isn't meant as such。 I also don't love the way the idea that people should always go above and beyond in their jobs could be taken。 You shouldn't stay at a job if your work isn't valued and you should know your worth and get compensated for things。 I'm all about doing your absolute best while you're on the clock， but your work shouldn't take up your whole life which this book sometimes seems to suggest。 Being kind to people is a must and a great message， but it gets lost in this。 。。。more
BewareTheWildAnimals
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This is an inspiring story of being a helpful， caring， generous person who listens and lives every day to be the best one can possibly be。 When these behaviors are genuine and not in order to please others， you have a person who is truly making an impact in the world。
Grant Evans
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There's a lot of "well， duh！" moments in here。。。but a lot of things the average person doesn't do or think of。 Be a Fred！ There's a lot of "well， duh！" moments in here。。。but a lot of things the average person doesn't do or think of。 Be a Fred！ 。。。more
Arthur Michalak
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Because I read this I thought I was the dullest， most dunderheaded bloke to ever scrape together the mental wherewithal to rightly run a career。 I was mostly wrong。 Fred Factor has some goods points。 It taught me to identify the very opposite of the Fred， whom I call the Derf （more on that later）。 I treat Mark Sanborn’s book as a companion to Raving Fans by Blanchard & Bowles （see my review）。 Whereas Blanchard & Bowles seem experienced running companies， I doubt Mark Sanborn has any direct custo Because I read this I thought I was the dullest， most dunderheaded bloke to ever scrape together the mental wherewithal to rightly run a career。 I was mostly wrong。 Fred Factor has some goods points。 It taught me to identify the very opposite of the Fred， whom I call the Derf （more on that later）。 I treat Mark Sanborn’s book as a companion to Raving Fans by Blanchard & Bowles （see my review）。 Whereas Blanchard & Bowles seem experienced running companies， I doubt Mark Sanborn has any direct customer service experience， evident through the writing， the examples， the conclusions。 But that does not mean Fred Factor book has no value。 Fred Factor does not address a critical part of customer service as does Raving Fans: You should not and cannot please everyone。 Know what the customer wants but only to a point。 Train the ear， listen to the music and the lyrics; learn to implement what customers want but learn to ignore some things that do not fit your vision。 Some customer demands are so unreasonable you have to offload them elsewhere。 Customer service cannot be one-size fits all。 But Fred Factor is more foundational than Raving Fans。 Sanborn’s unit of analysis starts with oneself。 Raving Fans assumes you already have a technical mastery of yourself， your family， and you are long ready to apply their techniques on projects， clients， departments， and so on。 That’s why I think Blanchard and Bowles are more experienced starting， running， coaching companies。 And why both books should be read as a pair， Sanborn’s first， Blanchard & Bowles next。Sanborn’s thesis: no no matter what job you hold， what industry you work in， or where you live， every morning you wake up with a clean slate。 You can make your business， your life， anything you choose it to be。 You can reinvent your work， rejuvenate your efforts。 He distills them into four principals。 1） Everyone makes a difference， 2） success is built on relationships， 3） you must continually create value for others， 4） it does not have to cost a penny to enact， and 5） you can reinvent yourself regularly。Small changes have cumulative profound effects on others and on ourselves。 The small things cumulatively create a lifestyle that becomes apparent to anyone paying the slightest attention。 But do not do it to expect praise。 If you expect praise and recognition， it will seldom come。 If your motive for doing something is to receive thanks， you will be disappointed。 This is a valuable lesson but some of his examples have fatuous implications， some are the absolute negation of world-class customer service （recall， it cannot be a one-size fits， all， ever-expanding tautology）。 Without spoiling the spoiled examples， you can read those。 Sanborn also correctly points out that companies （I work in applied physics） have access to the same information， consultants， training programs， compensation systems， perks， and hang the same motivational posters near the staff cubicles。 Yet there is sometimes a chasm between the customer service of one company and another。 One company can be toxic and the other euphoric。 They are full of Derfs。 and it starts from the top， down。This booked helped me to identify Derfs， those opposite of Freds。 Instead of avoiding them， which I used to do， I learned to be compassionate， chat with them， understand their perspective of why they can be thoughtless， infantile， and ignorant with colleagues and be sometimes senseless with clients。 They do not see much value in what they do， so they do not bring much value to others。 They do not want to do common things uncommonly well。 Service， for them， is not an opportunity but an obligation。 Making the ordinary extraordinary （for them） is lame。 Indifferent people deliver impersonal service。 So they substitute their work with mediocrity， foolishness， and lack of commitment as poor substitutes。 。。。more
Alexandra
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This very much presents as "reheated motivational speaker mush。" I powered through and practiced something I tell me clients all the time: Take what you need and leave the rest。 What I took from this book was to be kind。 Do your best。 Show love。 This very much presents as "reheated motivational speaker mush。" I powered through and practiced something I tell me clients all the time: Take what you need and leave the rest。 What I took from this book was to be kind。 Do your best。 Show love。 。。。more
CS Loh
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Simple to ready & to understand。A good motivational book。One should read it to rejuvenate & bring you back on track。
Karen Biegert
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Inspiring。 Not sure exactly how to rate this book。 It’s a feel good read about providing exceptional customer service。 Lessons can also be applied to living your best life。
Josh McIntyre
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Short and good readThis book is short and simple， but big on principle。 It give simple insights on how to be an extraordinary person。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Fred Factor
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Fred Factor&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Fred Factor&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0