Book Review: Fred 2.0

In 2004 Mark Sanborn made postman Fred Shea a inspirational icon with his bestselling book The Fred Factor:  How Passion in Your Work and Life Can Turn the Ordinary into the Extraordinary.  The book inspired a movement of giving extraordinary service and seeing value in relationships by “Freds” across America.

Seeking to follow up on the success of The Fred Factor, Mark Sanborn released Fred 2.0 in 2013.  The author is an inspirational speaker for businesses who teach the “Fred” principles involving making a difference, focusing on relationships, and adding value in your job to corporations across America.  His original book and Fred 2.0 are business books, built on a Christian foundation.

Fred 2.0 assumes the reader is acquainted with The Fred Factor book and principles, though he does give summary information of them.  He updates the reader on the real life Fred and shares typical core principles you would expect in a self-help inspirational business book like passion, discipline, commitment, creativity, and focusing on relationships with people.  The Fred principles, though not expressly connected by Sanborn, are rooted in Jesus’ teachings of going the extra mile and the golden rule.

The book delivers on its subtitle with delivering new ideas on how to inspire Fred behavior.  In some ways the book is a manual for business leaders, school administrators, and community leaders on how to impart and incorporate the Fred principles.  He dedicates one chapter each to being a Fred leader, building a team of Freds, raising a Fred Jr, and creating a community of Freds.

The author’s style involves sharing inspirational stories of Freds in the work place who are making an extraordinary difference and then sharing lists of how the reader can insure they accomplish the principle being discussed.  The book reads similar to a series of blog posts.  The reader shouldn’t expect much new when it comes to inspirational business content, but a reminder of many tried and true principles.  For this reviewer, the book was an easy read that served as a reminder of the usefulness and simple approach of the “Fred philosophy.”  This volume adds to that philosophy and helped spark a renewed interest in using the “Fred” philosophy.