Who Kidnapped Excellence?: What Stops Us from Giving and Being Our Best

• Cowritten by two bestselling authors: Harry Paul, coauthor of Fish! (over 5 million copies sold), and John Britt, coauthor of Who Killed Change? (over 100,000 copies sold)
• Uses a clever and fun parable to identify what excellence is, how we lose it, and how we can regain it and ensure it becomes an integral part of our lives
• Offers tools, action steps, and examples to help readers achieve professional and personal excellence

Most companies talk about excellence, but what does excellence really mean? What specific attitudes and practices lead to excellence? Drawing on years of study and decades of experience, authors Harry Paul, John Britt, and Ed Jent have zeroed in on five core qualities of excellence. In this entertaining and enlightening book, they tell how to give and be your best in each of these five critical dimensions and foster excellence in your organization and in your life.

The book begins with a crime being committed: Excellence (personified) has been kidnapped, and Leadership assembles Excellence’s team (Passion, Flexibility, Communication, Competency, and Ownership) and challenges them to work together to get their Excellence back.

And who is the culprit? It is Average who has kidnapped Excellence and replaced Excellence’s team with his own: N. Different, N. Ept, N. Flexible, Miss Communication, and Poser. But a mysterious ransom note sparks a struggle between Average and Excellence. Integrated into this tale of organizational excellence is the story of Dave, a delivery man. The kidnapping causes Dave to contemplate his own life and relationships in a way that makes the paths of personal and organizational excellence cross and intertwine. Who Kidnapped Excellence? is a parable that helps organizations and individuals achieve their best in every aspect of their lives.

About the Authors

Harry Paul has over thirty years’ experience in business, including management training and consulting, sales, distribution, product development, and international operations. He is the coauthor of six books, including Revved! (with Ross Reck) and the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller Fish!

John Britt is director of healthcare solutions at Kforce. He has been assisting large organizations’ leadership and management with change for over twenty years. He is the coauthor, with Ken Blanchard, of Who Killed Change?

Ed Jent has been a minister of education for the past twenty-six years and has served in Kentucky, Georgia, Tennessee, and Texas.