Encouraging the Heart

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Encouraging the Heart
Part One: The Heart of Leadership
Kouzes and Posner explore ways of making a good leader by appeasing the heart of humans. In the book “The Heart of Leadership,” the writers explore seven leadership essentials that can make good leaders. Conventionally, a leader should talk tough and act as if they do not care much of what happens next after making decisions, but, Kouzes and Posner tell of another way of achieving that desired goal through ‘soft leadership.’ From the book, one derives the idea that, the traditional way of leadership is not the only way, people should get support, encouragement, and help each other at the workplace if at all a difference in the administration is something achievable.
At the end of chapter three, Kouzes and Posner give a self-assessment criterion that a person can use to determine their score on the heart of leadership index. The assessment tells the extent to which one exhibits the seven essentials of leadership as postulated by Kouzes and Posner. After assessing myself, I scored 187. According to Kouzes and Posner (38), a score of 187 is excellent.
Some of the questions that I scored highly were questions 2 through 4, 6 through 12, 16 to 17, and 20 to 21. For all the outlined questions the score was 10, and that is the highest possible score according to the assessment. A score of 10 translated to something often done though not always. For example, spending a good time listening to the needs and interests of people, making sure there is group celebration of achievements among other habits.

Engaging in the practices where the scores were impressive appeals to people’s emotions, and that is the art of soft leadership as crafted by Kouzes and Posner (38).
However, there were other questions that the score was low and it is proper if the scores measured up to the above problems. To begin with, I would start to recognize people in public for their contribution to the common cause and their performance. From the self-assessment report, I acknowledge people in public less than in private, and it occurs once in a while if it is on public recognition. Secondly, I sometimes tell team member’s unique achievements while I should do it more often to encourage the team. Lastly, I sometimes hold special events to celebrate success. Although the scores for the three highlighted lowly scored areas are not worse, I should be on the lookout for new ways of encouraging the heart. Repeating the same may get boring with time, and it would get more predictable.
Part two: The Essentials of Leadership
Chapter 4: Set Clear Standards
What Happens
In understanding and evaluating if the organization has set clear standards, three practices must exist. First, the organization must have set standards that aim at motivating employees to do better in the future than they possible are at present. Secondly, leaders should have a way of communicating their values and [professional standards to their subordinates as often as possible. Lastly, leaders should endeavor to give feedback to employees on their scores according to the agreed working model. Upon evaluation of the way our organization works, the setting of clear standards is well done.
What Should Happen
However, the setting of standards is not precise as anticipated by Kouzes and Posner (40). For a proper set of rules to exist, team members and support staff under any leader should receive feedback on their performance as weighed against agreed-on values in a not usual but almost always if not always. Also, a slight adjustment should get done to the setting of standards. The existing performance guidelines do motivate employees to do better, but it is not enough to have the values in a very often manner, they should happen always.
Chapter 5: Expect the best
What Happens
Kouzes and Posner (61) applaud the idea of believing in one’s thoughts; only through that is that do people change the way they act such that they can achieve the best. Kouzes and Posner (61) give the example of Pygmalion and how he carved a statue that he later fell in love with; by wishing that the figure came to life, Pygmalion summoned Aphrodite to make his desires come to pass. Through the ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’ (Kouzes and Posner, 62) does one expect the best happen.
For any organization to expect the best and achieve what results, the three underscored practices below must exist. First, the leaders must express high expectations about what their subordinates are capable of ably doing. Secondly, leaders should keep reassuring co-workers of their unrelenting confidence in the ability of the employees. Lastly, leaders always express positivity and optimism even when the organization is going through tough times. All the outlined practices take place at our entity, and all that can get done is ensuring they keep taking place.
What Should Happen
The above-outlined practices aimed towards expectation of the best occur at their best possible levels. A change to the way operations get conducted should be in the same direction as that of the three practices. Since the assessment model has the highest score as almost always, the exercises should ever take place, and there exists an assurance of their occurrence. Since people often get nervous when encourage by those in authority, they channel their fears to doing what gets requested of them without hesitation (Kouzes and Posner 66). It all reduces to believing in oneself before believing in others; only through that can the self-fulfilling prophecies happen.
Chapter 6: Pay Attention
What Happens
The most celebrated leaders the world has had found ways of stepping into the shoes of others and asked themselves the ‘what if’ question; and that is called paying attention (Kouzes and Posner 73). People pay attention only if they care, and that is what leaders should engage in often. Leaders should express joy in the success of others, offer coaching among other supportive gestures rather than being a militant out in search of faults (Kouzes and Posner 77). Like all the other leadership essentials, paying of attention results from the exercise of three practices. First, leaders should pay more attention to the positive activities employees engage themselves. Secondly, leaders as per (Kouzes and Posner 75) should spend a great deal of their time listening to the needs and interests of those they supervise. Lastly, a leader must spare enough time each day or week to know at a personal level the people working in his office. In my organization, all the three practices are almost always present in the daily running of the business.
What Should Happen
Kouzes and Posner (78) encourage the confrontation of traditional managerial myths that do not inspire paying of attention. To maintain the high score in paying attention, leaders ought to shift their focus from self to others. Listening should not only occur with the head but also the heart. When leaders take time to hang out and open up to their staff, an environment of trust and honest relationships gets created.
Chapter 7: Personalize Recognition
What Happens
Once leaders mastered the art of arriving at the above-discussed essentials which are, setting clear standards, expecting the best, and paying attention; they should go ahead to recognize the efforts and achievements. Recognition ought to get personalized, for cold, impersonal recognition does not help (Kouzes and Posner 91). Honor does not necessarily have to be big and formal, what matters is what the other person feels about the accorded recognition.
At the Department of Transportation, I make the effort of acknowledging employees for their contributions to the business. Many people love appreciations; it goes towards boosting their self-esteem hence positive performance. I too, endeavor to personalize the recognition given to each person. What stands in the way of providing personalized attention is lack of knowledge on what best suits individuals. Kouzes and Posner (93) found out that it is better to ask people what they like so that you do not receive resentment after making a wrong recognition. However, respectable managers learn from small daily acts that tell what people love. I find creative ways to make my appreciation unique and exceptional. Personalization means to create a culture according to Kouzes and Posner (94). Personalizing is about knowing the nitty-gritty about an individual so that you do not get it wrong when undertaking recognitions.
What Should Happen
In the pursuit of making personalized recognition, the organization does not get it when it comes to finding creative ways of making the recognition of exceptional and distinctive. It is rude and arrogant for a leader to assume to know his subjects so well not to bother personalizing their recognitions (Kouzes and Posner 94). Improper recognition may destroy teamwork efforts and future relations among employees. The organization needs to rework on its way of making personalized recognitions as they happen at a usual level rather than the more sophisticated level of almost always.
Chapter 8: Tell the Story
What Happens
At the workplace, communication should not always take the typical character of superior junior and vice versa. Storytelling is a mode of communication that puts the common channel of communication aside for the more common and powerful story route. In addition to being a way of communicating, stories pass along vital lessons. Through stories, a human face gets attached to success; such characters influence the next course of action for many employees. It does not matter who oozes influence, just tell the story, and in some way, it will influence a person (Kouzes and Posner 99).
In our organization storytelling is not a well-entrenched leadership trait. I sometimes tell stories about other members’ exceptional accomplishments. The rate of telling stories is somewhat low hence not putting into motion the desired morale among the team members. What the establishment excels in is finding opportunities to let workmates know why things happen as witnessed. There lacks a proper connection between the leaders and other employees in the same organization. Leaders fail to recognize employees in public for work well done while they congratulate them in private.
What Should Happen
Leaders ought to understand the fundamentals of telling the story. In expressing the story, the subject should get stated followed by what is the predicament (Kouzes and Posner 107). All the essential chapters of a story must be presented by the narrator so that the desired effect gets achieved. Leaders should tell real stories of real persons in real life. Numbers may look great, but they do not drive growth like a well-told story (Kouzes and Posner 101). Storytelling has existed like forever, it keeps getting better with age, and its use gets encouraged. From my organization, leaders should strive more to recognized people in public than in private.
Chapter 9: Celebrate Together 6, 13, 20
What Happens
Kouzes and Posner (107) assert that celebrations summon the human spirit; life gets injected with purpose and passion through celebrating. People love to participate in celebrating special events and milestones; personalized recognitions can get turned to that great moment when all team members celebrate the achievements of their colleague. It is not a must that celebrations be of grandiose nature; what matters at the end of the day is togetherness (Kouzes and Posner 114). Some studies allude that well distinguished high-performing establishments record many celebrations in a duration same as that which got accorded less performing organizations.
In my organization, there is the culture of making sure that those who I oversee celebrate together as a group. It never matters the size of the event so long as recognition and appreciation get expressed. Sometimes, I hold special events to celebrate the group’s success. Almost always, I find ways of making the workplace a relaxing and enjoyable environment. Lacking in the practice of the company is the frequent holding of a special event to celebrate success. Since humans need each other, celebration time is when people bond (Kouzes and Posner 117).
What Should Happen
Through celebrations more people come to one’s life, it is the need for affiliation that triggers celebrations (Kouzes and Posner 117). People put things in public to remind themselves of positive memories, maybe through such, more meaningful achievements may get realized. Kouzes and Posner (117) are of the view that intimacy heals while loneliness hurts. Having celebrations with friends cures as a consequence of getting intimate with colleagues. Best leaders always want to surround themselves with those they lead (Kouzes and Posner 118). More celebrations should get incorporated into the calendar of our organization so that the fruits of heart leading get realized.
Chapter 10: Set the Example
What Happens
Kouzes and Posner (129) opine that those in leadership roles are allowed by them that they serve to exercise their mandate since they are human. Leaders are not cast in stone; it is proper for a leader to extend gesture that demonstrates his leadership acumen each time presented with an opportunity. It is from small gestures that a culture of celebration and appreciation gets nurtured. Great leaders show to others what they expect of them. Leaders with credibility make organization members work together as teams, and increase their productivity.
In our organization, I almost always ensure to show my face as a leader in recognition events of others achievements. My actions aim at developing a culture of appreciation among the employees; we should always feel proud of other people’s milestones. I usually show other through my doings on how people should get recognized and appreciated. I also almost always congratulate people for a job well done at a personal level. I have wholly failed to show my team on how best to recognize and reward others as I do it not so often.
What Should Happen
Kouzes and Posner (131) are of the view that credibility is the cornerstone of example setting, as it is also the foundation of leadership. Where likelihood of leaders is high, loyalty, commitment, and productivity are likely to soar. Credible leaders practice what they preach, they walk the talk, among other telling actions. Humans have a way of identifying believable leaders by first listening to their words then watching their efforts. Examples get set by starting the morning with words of encouragement to the support staff. It should be the practice of every leader to go first them other follow (Kouzes and Posner 138). No matter what takes place in trying to set an example, what counts is taking the initiative first.
Part 3: Applying the Principles
To begin with, for the fifth essential, I tried suggestion number 83. The suggestion asks that at the next opportunity I tell someone of my most meaningful recognition. When I had the chance I voiced of one manager that made me who I was; he did not care that I was fresh from college; he gave me the opportunity to grow professionally. I hope the story inspired the coworker I told.
On the second principle, I love celebrations, and I had to start applying the policy from the sixth essential of a leader, which is celebrating together. I had to try suggestion 101 where I had to visit a local party store and pick ideas of what makes something festive. At the party store, I bought gift cards and flowers for I thought they would encourage my team to work harder if I presented them the gifts.
Principle number three was, expecting the best, from which I tried suggestion number 19. Suggestion 19 talks about the self-fulfilling prophecy. Every moment anyone appreciated my leadership techniques I felt indebted even to perform better. Confident people tend to emit positive energy to those they surround.
For the fourth try, I practiced smiling which is the in the second essential suggestions. It seemed funny, but it worked the magic. Smiling and laughing even when not provoked tends to reduce levels of depression. Smiling and laughing seemed to revamp my body for something more challenging.
The fifth try was more of a library adventure as I had to take a class or read a book on how to set goals as outlined by the first leadership essential. Reading a book on how to fix goals is at number 12 of the 150 suggestions. Setting goals demanded that one comes up with the vision and mission of whatever it is that makes them set standards. In this case, I had the organizations vision and mission; thus it was more straightforward setting goals.
Own ways of Encouraging the Heart
I came up with the following ways to encourage the heart. I began with having a personal attachment to others. Through the creation of personal relationships, people became more open on what made them happy and that which annoyed. Through such relations, a leader gets to know the best way to recognize someone.
Secondly, I took time to encourage others. I took it upon myself to hearted my friends and coworkers; this improved their view of life and their morale in doing their duties.
Thirdly, I set individual goals. Setting personal goals was one of the most rewarding actions I took. I realized that my achievements increased and my confidence got boosted.
Onto the fourth way, I shared personal experiences with others. I shared some of my own experiences and successes to encourage those around me. This step worked like creating person relations; people got closer to me after sharing my experiences.
Lastly, I listened to others. In my daily interactions with friends and with my workmates I did more of hearing than talking. Listening was meant to understand what others want in the establishment.

Works Cited
Kouzes, James M., and Barry Z. Posner. Encouraging the heart: A leader’s guide to rewarding and recognizing others. Vol. 133. John Wiley & Sons, 1999.