Encouraging the Heart: Kouzes & Pozner

Encouraging the Heart:
A Leaders Guide to
Rewarding and Encouraging Others
Jossey-Bass:  The Jossey-Bass Business and Management Series
James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Pozner (2003)

   
Synopsis presented by Randy Mayeux for www.15MinuteBusinessBooks.com

Workers are people, and people flourish when encouraged. It is the task of leaders to continually, perpetually, encourage the hearts of the people they lead.

This story is a constant reminder to us of the power of a very simple principles of human performance:   people like to be recognized for doing their best.

Encouragement increases the chance that people will actually achieve higher levels of performance.  (p. xii). 

Encouraging the Heart is about the dichotomous nature of leadership.  It’s about toughness and tenderness.  Guts and grace.  Firmness and fairness.  Fortitude and gratitude.  Passion and compassion.  Leaders must have courage themselves, and they must impart it to others.  This book is about how leaders effectively give of their hearts so that others may fully develop and experience their own.  (p. xvi). 

To be credible, leaders must do what they expect others to do.  (p. xix).

Encouraging the Heart is ultimately about keeping hope alive.  Leaders keep hope alive when they set high standards and genuinely express optimism about an individual’s capacity to achieve them.  They keep hope alive when they give feedback and publicly recognize a job well done.  They keep hope alive when they give their constituents the internal support that all human beings need to feel that they and their work are important and have meaning. 

They keep hope alive when they train and coach people to exceed their current capacities.  Most importantly, leaders keep hope alive when they set an example.  There really is nothing more encouraging than to see our leaders practice what they preach.  (p. xx). 

• The heart of the matter:  the basic human need to be appreciated for what we do and who we are.

Leaders:

• challenge the process
• inspire a shared vision
• enable others to act
• model the way
• encourage the heart

1. The heart of leadership:  people need encouragement to perform at their best.

• people are starved for recognition

2. 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

• leaders understand the value of celebrating together
• leaders set the example
• leaders continually challenge others to “move forward”

• the seven essentials expanded…

2. Set clear standards

• commitment flows from personal values
• goals concentrate our minds and shape who we are
• goals plus feedback keep us engaged
• encouragement is feedback

3. Expect the Best

• high expectations lead to high performance
• positive images create positive possibilities
• who leads the leaders?  (reciprocal communicating of high expectations)
• self-esteem is a win for all

4. Pay attention

• ditch the shiny badge (leaders should not be known as “constantly on the lookout for problems”)
• release the positive
• put others first
• listen with your eyes and your heart
• “hang out”  (listen; be physically present)
• be a friend and open up
• seek and you will find (look for the good)

5. Personalize recognition  (the value of thoughtfulness!)

• recognition can hurt if it’s not personalized
• know what they like
• personalize means culturalize

6. Tell the story

• the story is the reality
• stories teach, mobilize, and motivate
• great leaders are great storytellers

7. Celebrate together

• create a culture of celebration
• “we want to involve others in our lives”
• intimacy heals; loneliness hurts
• celebrations build community
• celebrations reinforce values

8. Set the example

• credibility is the foundation
• DWYSYWD:  do what you say you will do
• start your morning with encouragement
• leaders go first

• a leader is called to “find his/her (caring) voice”