Bringing Out The Best In Others

Originally published in 1985, this bestselling, essential book about management and motivation has over 1 million copies in print and remains relevant for today. Alan Loy McGinnis, author of the award-winning, international bestseller The Friendship Factor, studied great leaders throughout history, the most effective organizations of modern times, and prominent psychologists to culminate a wealth of motivational tips and ideas. In this book are 12 practical principles to help anyone -- parent, manager, teacher, friend -- motivate, inspire, influence, and build enthusiasm. Mastering the art of motivation and improving relational habits isn't easy but McGinnis includes encouragement alongside real-life examples to relay life application for any scenario. Every chapter is a must-read with deeper revelations on specific topics and powerful ways to focus one's energy toward change and improvement. People management, team-building, individual assessment, goal setting, accountability, and dealing with trouble-makers are just a few of the topics covered in the highly accessible chapters. McGinnis' positive and strengths-based approach inspires momentous change, allowing individuality and input along the way. Bringing out the best starts with you, and then you can bring out the best in others.

The author shares his research in "high performers" revealing the secrets behind a successful business profile, particularly his findings about the differences between "firstborns" and "laterborns."

The classic bestseller on performance management is updated to reflect changes in today's working environment. When an employer needs to know how to gain maximum performance from employees, renowned behavioral psychologist--Aubrey Daniels is the man to consult. What has made Daniels the man with the answers? His ability to apply scientifically based behavioral stimuli to the workplace while making it fun at the same time. Now Daniels updates his ground-breaking book with the latest and best motivational methods, perfected at such companies as Xerox, 3M, and Kodak. All-new material shows how to: create effective recognition and rewards systems in line with today's employees want; Stimulate innovations and creativity in new and exciting ways; overcome problems associated with poorly educated workers; motivate young employees from the minute they join the workforce.

The age-old question for every leader—how do we bring out the best in those we lead? Anyone who has run a company, raised a family, lead an army, or coached a team struggles to find the key to help others excel and realize their potential. It is surprising how often we resort to criticism vs. an approach that actually results in a better worker and a better person. What if we could speak Words of Life that transform those under our influence and ignite fires of intrinsic motivation? What if those we lead found great purpose in what they do and worked at their jobs with all their heart? Isn’t that what leaders, parents and teachers really want? Ultimately, don’t we hope to foster intrinsic motivation so that the individuals we lead become better employees, better students or better athletes? Recent discoveries of brain science and the wisdom of top CEO’s that Dr. Tim Irwin interviewed for this book give us the answers we’ve long sought. In most organizations, the methods used to provide feedback to employees such as performance appraisal or multi-rater feedback systems, in fact, accomplish the exact opposite of what we intend. We inadvertently speak Words of Death. Brain science tells us that these methods tend to engage a natural “negativity bias” that is hardwired in us all. Science in recent years discovered that affirmation sets in motion huge positive changes in the brain. It releases certain neuro chemicals associated with well-being and higher performance. Amazingly, criticism creates just the opposite neural reaction. The most primitive part of the brain goes into hyper defense mode, compromising our performance, torpedoing our motivation and limiting access to our higher-order strengths. How do we redirect employees who are out-of-line without engaging our natural “negativity bias?” Leaders must forever ban the term, “Constructive Criticism.” Brain science tells us that we can establish a connection between the employee’s work and his or her aspirations. This book calls for a new approach to align workers with an organization’s mission, strategy and goals, called Alliance Feedback.

Most of us believe that every event has a cause and effect. We often feel there is someone or something we can put the blame onto besides ourselves. We may blame everyone from our parents to our bosses. Discouragement and unhappiness are ways of life for many of us. Now there is a book that addresses these realities.Skills of Encouragement provides opportunities for readers to improve their self-esteem and personal skills through practical exercises. Learn how to achieve a positive approach to living. Dynamic power is set free when you know how to focus on the positive potential within yourself. The authors have identified the process of encouragement that can produce an exciting, fulfilling and ultimately happy life.

Most business leaders can take only so much pressure before their performance slides. Yet some CEOs deliver their greatest successes when times get toughest—when customers’ preferences are shifting away from a company’s products, when new regulations are shrinking profit margins, when political unrest is destroying supply lines. In Better Under Pressure, Justin Menkes reveals the common traits that make these leaders successful. Drawing on in-depth interviews with sixty CEOs from an array of industries and performance data from two hundred other leaders, Menkes shows that great executives strive relentlessly to maximize their own potential—as well as stoke their people’s innate thirst for their own triumphs. To do so, they draw on a set of three essential and rare attributes: • Realistic optimism: They recognize the risks threatening their organization’s survival—and their own failings—while remaining confident in their ability to have an impact. • Subservience to purpose: They dedicate themselves to pursuing a noble cause and win their team’s commitment to that cause. • Finding order in chaos: They find clarity amid the many variables affecting their business by culling data and forming the conclusions that matter most to the company. The good news: these three capabilities can be learned. Drawing on a broad range of examples from real companies—including Avon, Yum Brands, Southwest, Procter & Gamble, and Ryerson Steel, to name just a few—Menkes demonstrates how each psychological attribute manifests itself in real life and enables top performance under extreme duress. He also shows you how to develop and deploy those attributes—so you can transform yourself into a leader who only shines brighter as the pressure intensifies. Deeply personal, brimming with compelling stories from real-life CEOs, and packed with powerful insights, tools, and practices, this book is a potent resource for aspiring, emerging, and seasoned business leaders alike.

Drawing on the author’s extensive experience training mentors, The Mentor’s Way outlines eight rules for engaging in a mentoring relationship. Nemanick examines the ways in which mentoring differs from managing or leading, and details the various roles of the mentor as a role model, motivator, confidant, coach, and more. Readers will learn how to develop successfully in each of these roles while helping a protégé to develop his or her own skills. Clear and elegant chapters, each prefaced with a real-world example, emphasize to readers that their role as a mentor lies in listening and responding to a protégé’s individual strengths and needs. Special attention is paid to creating a safe space, displaying empathy, and fielding a protégé’s questions while knowing what to ask as a mentor. The author takes the anxiety out of the mentorship journey, accompanying practical insight with chapter exercises that are designed to help readers use their own experiences to identify best practice. Suggested topics for difficult mentor/protégé conversations allow readers to facilitate a stronger, more open relationship with their protégé. This practical guide will provide mentors with the toolkit they need to get the most out of a relationship with their protégés.

Becoming the Very Best First-Time Leader Congratulations! You’re now in charge. Perhaps it’s your first time as a leader, or maybe you want to fine-tune your skills. Either way, you’ve begun one of the most rewarding chapters of your career. But, like many beginnings, the first few years can be challenging. Fortunately, you don’t have to tackle this challenge on your own. Your First Leadership Job gives you practical advice straight from others who have walked in your shoes. Not only does it include dozens of tools to ensure your success, but it’s also based on the authors’ and DDI’s extensive experience and research, which ultimately has led to the development of millions of leaders around the world. In fact, a quarter-million leaders will be developed this year alone via DDI training. Your First Leadership Job is divided into two sections. Part 1 introduces the concept of catalyst leader—one who sparks energy, passion, and commitment in others. Your transition to catalyst leader is a major step in your leadership journey. This book provides essential tips to put you on the catalyst path. Ultimately, leadership is about the many conversations—frequent, clear, authentic, and occasionally difficult—that you will have daily. Your First Leadership Job builds awareness of the fundamental skills you’ll come to rely on to make every one of these interactions successful. Part 2 devotes 13 chapters to critical core leadership competencies, including coaching for success, hiring the best employees, turning dreaded appraisals into discussions that propel performance, and handling difficult employees. It also includes a chapter for first-time female leaders. Look at Your First Leadership Job as an indispensable companion to becoming an awesome leader—one who will make a positive, lasting impact on your team, family, and career. Visit www.yourfirstleadershipjob.com to learn more.