James M. Kouzes, Barry Z. Posner – Encouraging the Heart: A Leader’s Guide to Rewarding and Recognizing Others
Leadership authorities James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner say employees perform best when their contributions are genuinely appreciated. Unfortunately, the two contend, most executives have not mastered the decidedly soft-management skill of “encouragement” that fosters such behavior. In Encouraging the Heart, they examine how this type of compassionate supervision is becoming a critical part of successful management today, and through example and suggestion they describe how readers can establish the process in their own businesses.
This is not a book about glad-handing and backslapping, gold stars, and payoffs. It’s about the importance of linking rewards and appreciation to standards of excellence. It’s about why encouragement is absolutely essential to sustaining people’s commitment to organizations and outcomes. It’s about the hard work it takes to get extraordinary things done in organizations, and it’s about ways to enhance your own ability in–and comfort with–recognizing and celebrating the achievements of others.
The book’s opening section introduces their concept of the caring leader; the second outlines their “seven essential principles” for encouraging workers; the third explains how the process can be personalized and describes 150 additional suggestions for implementing it. –Howard Rothman –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
“Beyond the terrific stories and examples, Encouraging the Heart is a wonderful tool for creating a workforce that cares. In today’s economy of job-hopping and nanosecond loyalty, can anything be more valuable?” ? Patrick Lencioni, author, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, and president, The Table Group “Kouzes and Posner have done it again. Encouraging the Heart is an insightful, easy-to-read book that shows modern leaders how to foster pride, courage, hope, ownership, and achievement. It’s a wonderful mix of research findings and practical observations drawn from the authors’ extensive experience with leaders.” ? William C. Byham, Ph.D., president and CEO, Development Dimensions International
