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Bringing out the Best in People

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Bringing out the Best in People

How to Apply the Astonishing Power of Positive Reinforcement

McGraw-Hill,

15 min read
10 take-aways
Text available

What's inside?

To change or manage people's behavior, first you must know what motivates and influences their actions. If you're going to try this, aim for results you can measure.

Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Analytical
  • Applicable
  • Well Structured

Recommendation

This book packs a lot of content into 208 pages. Aubrey C. Daniels is not afraid to challenge some popular management theories. He even mentions in his preface that "human performance has been trivialized by many books, the popular press and management folklore. The author uses behavioral analysis as an approach to managing people. This systematic, data-focused method is concerned with measurable results, not subjective qualities like "improved teamwork" or "better employee morale." getAbstract recommends this book for managers who are interested in initiating change in a precise controlled fashion.

Summary

If you manage people only on the basis of your personal experience, you will get unpredictable results. Today’s business environment demands a more precise approach. Performance Management is a precise, scientific approach to management that works.

Comparing Scientific Knowledge to Common Sense

One myth says there isn’t enough ’common sense’ in business. Actually, there is too much. Common sense is defined as "the unreflective opinions of ordinary people." Organizations cannot survive on management strategies developed by the unreflective opinions of its leaders. Using scientific knowledge is the alternative to using common sense.

While acquiring scientific knowledge takes special effort, you acquire common sense merely by being alive. Common sense is individual, because it comes from personal experience. Scientific knowledge looks for information that applies in all situations. Scientific knowledge also questions the obvious. Common sense knowledge will succeed sometimes and not other times. Because of the uncontrolled nature of applying common sense, it is impossible to know exactly why a common sense idea doesn’t work. In contrast, scientific knowledge gained...

About the Author

Aubrey C. Daniels, Ph.D., is one of the most sought after business management speakers and writers. He has worked closely with such clients as 3M, Kodak and Rubbermaid. He is the founder and publisher of Performance Management magazine.

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