Encouraging the Heart—A Leader's Guide to Rewarding and Recognizing Others
Authors: James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner.
Review completed by Janna Kincheloe, Montana State University, Rosebud-Treasure County Extension Agent, WELD 2005 Intern.
Before I get started, I would like to thank the members of the planning committee for implementing a book report as part of the WELD experience. I am one of those people who often overlook the value of books in professional and personal development, so having a definite goal (and assignment!) in mind helped me a lot.
I read the book "Encouraging the Heart - A Leader's Guide to Rewarding and Recognizing Others" by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner. I chose this book partly because these are the same authors who wrote "The Leadership Challenge," which I thought was thought-provoking and insightful, and partly because my colleague had a copy of this book sitting on her shelf. It turned out to be a good choice for me, and has inspired me to look closely at my leadership style and opportunities for improvement.
Okay, on to the book. "Encouraging the Heart," defines seven essential practices and principles to help leaders learn to recognize and reward others from the heart. This book followed the same basic format as "The Leadership Challenge," with lots of stories and examples to support the principles of leadership that the authors are discussing. The book shows us the importance of developing a relationship between people and their work. A chapter of the book is devoted to each principle. I have summarized each principle in a few paragraphs in order to give you some of the basic theories that this book is based on. I may not have done justice to this; please don't base your decision on whether or not to read the book on the following.
The First Essential - Set Clear Standards
One of the first steps in encouraging the heart is ensuring that people understand not only the goals of an organization, but also the values and principles driving the organization. People don't put their hearts into something that they don't personally believe in. If you as a leader don't clarify your personal beliefs and values for the organization, it is difficult for others to determine if these principles match their own & thus their "fit" into the organization. Helping people set goals and then giving them feedback (i.e., encouragement) about how they're doing is one of the best ways to motivate people to achieve. True leaders believe in others and are able to communicate this belief to the individual, thus bringing out the best in them.
Here are some of the reflections that the authors encourage us to think about. I will provide several of the reflections listed by the authors for each chapter.
Reflections:
The Second Essential - Expect the Best
This principle is based on the theory of "self-fulfilling prophecy," whereby when a person predicts that something will occur, the expectation changes how the person behaves. Leaders with positive expectations set the climate for success through positive reinforcement and giving others the opportunity for input. They are essentially unleashing the individuals' potential by consistently showing that they believe in them. People with this support system are encouraged to reach beyond their own self-doubts and achieve more than they thought possible.
Reflections:
1. How would you honestly rate your expectations of those you lead? High? Moderate? Low?
2. Think about some of the lower performers among those you lead. How might your expectations be influencing their performance? Think about your high performers. How might your expectations be influencing their performance?
3. What images of the future do you hold in your mind right now? Are they mostly positive, or mostly negative? How are these images influencing others?
4. Right now, how do you communicate positive expectations of others?
The Third Essential - Pay Attention
Leaders are constantly aware of things that are going on in their organization. They are out walking around, talking to people, finding out what's happening. One of the main reasons for this is to show people that they care, and the best way to do this is to pay attention to people - what they're doing, how they're feeling, who they are, what they like, what they don't. Try not to think of this as "patrolling" or "inspecting" or "checking up on things." Look for people doing things right, and reward them for it. Get to know people, hang out with them, and really pay attention. If people know you as a caring, supportive leader, they are likely to give you some reason to be proud of them. It all comes back to promoting positive expectations and having these expectations realized.
Reflections:
1. How often are you out there caring by wandering around?
2. When you're out there, what do you pay attention to? What do you notice? Would you say you more often notice positive or negative things?
3. To what extent does your behavior say, "I'm here looking for people doing things right and doing the right things?"
4. Who, right now, in your organization, exemplifies the standards that have been set? When was the last time you talked to that person - or any person - about his or her work?
5. When was the last time you recognized someone for his or her actions?
The Fourth Essential - Personalize Recognition
This principle goes hand in hand with the third principle of paying attention. If you really care about others, you pay attention to them. To truly recognize and encourage someone, you have to know something about their likes and dislikes. It's important to take the time and effort into realizing what makes recognition special for someone. A gold watch for 25 years of service doesn't mean much to someone who doesn't wear a watch. Some people appreciate public recognition, and some don't. There are also cultural implications for recognition that should be considered. If you recognize someone for doing something good, and it doesn't make them feel good, have you really recognized them at all?
Reflections:
1. How do you find out about what honors others?
2. What have you done recently to personalize an act of recognition, whether a thank-you note or a big gift?
3. How much time do you typically spend in thinking about what would make an act of recognition special and unique for the person? Is it enough?
The Fifth Essential - Tell the Story
Storytelling is an integral part of human culture and one of the most basic forms of communication. People believe stories more than they believe company memos and reports. Just think of the number of cartoons posted in people's offices. People can relate to the stories communicated in cartoons - - it puts the message into a context that they understand. Storytelling can be an effective leadership tool if it is used correctly. Use stories to give people encouragement and motivation, to recognize people's accomplishments, and to show people who you are and where you are going as an organization.
Reflections:
1. When was the last time you told a public story about someone who did something extraordinary in your organization?
2. To what extent is storytelling a tradition in your organization? In your family?
3. Who's the best storyteller you know personally? How can you find ways to learn from this person?
4. What are the stories that are told the most often in your organization? What are the lessons, the morals, that are being communicated? Are these the lessons that should be communicated? What other stories should be told?
The Sixth Essential - Celebrate Together
When we think of celebrations, we often think of elaborate rituals that take a lot of time and energy to put together. Celebrations can also be very simple, yet meaningful events, and a great way to recognize an individual's contribution to an organization. Some research shows that the difference between high- and low-performing groups was the variety and frequency of celebratory events. People like to feel like they are a part of "something," and celebrations help us do that. Whether it is a public event or just an internal function, celebrations increase the feeling of belonging. They make people feel appreciated and help build a greater team spirit. They are also used to reinforce values of the organization by communicating what is important.
Reflections:
The Seventh Essential - Set the Example
Paul Hawken, founder of Smith and Hawken, once said, "We lead by being human. We do not lead by being corporate, professional, or institutional." Leaders must model a culture of strong values that set the tone for the organization. People want to believe that their leaders can be trusted, and their commitment and sense of ownership in the organization depend on the leader's credibility or "doing what you say you will do (DWYSYWD)." In this business of encouraging the heart, leaders go first. Take that first step to recognize individual contributions and celebrate accomplishments, and start encouraging the heart.
Reflections:
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You cannot begin to get the feeling for this book without reading some of the amazing examples of leading by encouraging the heart and the results that it can produce. However, the authors do not stop there. They realize that you cannot base your leadership on someone else's experience. The foundation to leading from the heart is to understand the principles related this book, and then put them into practice in your life. Therefore, along that line, they also provide 150 Ways to Encourage the Heart - - a myriad of ideas to get you started, categorized under the seven essentials to allow you to focus in on certain areas. As I found out while doing this report, the essentials are interrelated and overlapping - - it is really all about caring for people. Techniques are just that, unless they are expressed as genuine expressions of caring. You need to find your true voice in order to truly inspire and lead others. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions regarding this book. Thanks so much for taking the time to read this!