Encouraging the Heart (Kouzes & Posner)

In Encouraging the Heart, James Kouzes and Barry Posner offer "a leader's guide to rewarding and recognizing others."  They argue that many today are starved for encouragement/recognition, and
"if you're going to lead people you have to care about them."  In fact, of three basic needs we express and desire- inclusion, control, and affection- the highest-performing managers were ones that expressed and wanted affection.  Yes, "we all really do want to be loved."  So how can we encourage each other?  The authors spent the bulk of the book presenting:

The Seven Essentials of Encouraging
1. Set clear standards
2. Expect the best
3. Pay attention
4. Personalize recognition
5. Tell the story
6. Celebrate together
7. Set the example

The book offered good points but could have been much shorter than its 200 pages.  Most of the above list is pretty intuitive; in fact, the first two chapters (31 pages) summarized things nicely.  Perhaps even a blog post by an amateur writer could suffice here.  Repetition can be a key to learning- but it can also get old fast.  I'll end on a high note- it reinforced that employees want more than anything to be appreciated and feel informed.  It also gave me some points to ponder concerning values and goals, something I personally have a hard time developing/sharing with others:

- "Human beings just don't put their hearts into something they don't believe in."
- "Clarity of personal values is the force that really makes the difference in an individual's level of commitment to an organization."
- "The important function of a goal is to get us moving with purpose and energy."

Rating: B