Encouraging the Heart: A Leader's Guide to Rewarding and Recognizing Others (J–B Leadership Challenge: Kouzes/Posner) - Hardcover

"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 Temptations of a CEO, 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)

Many people assume that money is the mainstay of motivation. But in truth, the desire to accomplish extraordinary things is linked to basic human need: We all want to be respected for who we are and recognized for the things we do. While many leaders know this from experience, few know how best to act on it.
In Encouraging the Heart, the best–selling authors of The Leadership Challenge team up again to reflect upon one of the most elusive aspects of leadership––caring––and offer readers a deeper understanding of how and why it works. More importantly, they extend a set of principles, practices, and examples that show how to energize people to excel and then reach for even greater heights.
Kouzes and Posner maintain that people will aspire to higher standards of performance when they are genuinely appreciated for their dedication and publicly recognized for their extraordinary achievements. And through the uplifting stories of ordinary people in leadership roles, the authors demonstrate just how this is done. They also offer over one hundred and fifty ways readers can immediately apply the process themselves.
Powerful and personal, Encouraging the Heart is filled with practical ideas for helping others believe in themselves, celebrate their uniqueness, and discover their own value. It shows leaders how they can find their voice and their hearts and, through caring and courage, mobilize people to personal and organizational greatness. In short, it′s a work both inspirational and instructional that shows how to master one of the most difficult and valuable leadership skills of all.