Foreword

Jim Atchison is president of Busch Entertainment Corporation, which operates 10 U.S. theme parks including Sea-World, Busch Gardens, and Discovery Cove.

WE FIRST MET Ken Blanchard seven years ago in Orlando, Florida. Ken was promoting his new book with appearances in the three Sea-World parks. The presentation he gave at Shamu Stadium that day borrowed heavily from the themes of Whale Done! The Power of Positive Relationships, a 2002 collaborative project between Ken, marine mammal training pioneers Chuck Tompkins and Thad Lacinak, Ken’s longtime friend and colleague Jim Ballard, and Sea World. That book would go on to help hundreds of thousands of people establish more productive and positive relationships at home and at work.

Ken had no way of knowing that morning that Elli and I were soon to embark on life’s greatest, most rewarding, and, sometimes, most frustrating adventure: We were about to start our own family. In the brief time that has passed since meeting Ken, we have had three beautiful children. Caleb is six, Nathanael is four, and Bethany is two, ages that are represented in many of the young characters in this book. We are pleased to report that every technique you’re about to learn has been validated—repeatedly—in the Atchison house.

Our chat with Ken that morning in Orlando revealed that he is, at heart, a teacher—a man who reflects on his own experiences and delights in sharing them with others in ways that make life easier, more fulfilling, and more productive. After reading just one of his books, a collaboration with legendary Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula, it was clear that an association between Ken Blanchard and SeaWorld was inevitable.

As Ken likes to point out, SeaWorld does many things well, but one thing better than anyone else: caring for, training, and showcasing marine mammals. SeaWorld’s sophistication in marine mammal care translates for our guests to really only one thing: fun. But it meant a great deal more to Ken. From his first visit to our San Diego SeaWorld in the ’70s, he realized that training marine mammals, including large predators like killer whales, must have applications for human relationships. How could it not? A killer whale can weigh 13,000 pounds. It is the ocean’s top predator. As SeaWorld trainers are fond of pointing out, a wise person demands nothing of a killer whale. You rely on a relationship based on mutual respect and trust, then you ask something of a killer whale.

All of us at SeaWorld are delighted to continue our relationship with Ken in this latest evolution of the Whale Done philosophy, Whale Done Parenting. We hope the lessons in this book provide meaningful insights that work as well in your home as they do in ours.

—Jim and Elli Atchison