Book Review - Bringing out the best in people

I truly believe that we all win when each of us wins. That the world is better when each of us reaches our full potential. When each of us feels like we can pursue our biggest dreams. I was glad to explore and learn from this book. Even though the book is geared towards work places and managers and leaders I think we can all benefit from this book. I will be making notes that can be applied to everyday life not just work life. How can I bring out the best in myself and others?

The book I got was a signed copy from 1995 for a manager at National Flour Mills in Trinidad. The author notes that his mother always brought out the best in him, at the beginning of the book. What works for one person may not work for someone else. We have to recognize someone's individuality. How much do we know about the science of human behavior? How can we apply data driven decision making to our everyday lives?

If you are a parent (for example) read more on the topic of parenting and seek out methods that are backed by data to bring out the best in your children. A scientific approach demands that we ask lots of questions. Keeping in mind that time changes things and we have to change with the times. If you are a teacher (for example) how are you modernizing your teaching and contributing to reforming the education system to bring out the best in our students? If we want to bring out the best in someone we have to get to know that person and their circumstances.

Antecedents, consequences and reinforcements affect behaviour. Keeping in mind that prevention is better than cure. Change is easier to accept when we can make immediate the benefits even when there may be long term benefits that drive the change. Where there is lack of desired outcomes we have to determine lack of motivation or lack of skills? I think problems occur when the goals and feelings of the individual are ignored. When power gets to the bosses' heads. It is important to get people doing things because they want to and not only because they have to.

I like this Benjamin Franklin quote from the book, "Write people's accomplishments in stone and their faults in sand." Everyone wants to feel loved and it brings out the best in us. People do well when they are appreciated and valued. People do well when they can be open about what they want. People don't like being belittled or made to feel stupid. Punishment is sometimes needed and gets people on the right track but I feel that we have to choose the better punishment that does more good than harm.

The writer spends much of the book talking about positive reinforcement. Looking back at my work life, I think many of my work places would have benefitted from learning from this book. One rule that stood out to me was "do not use the opportunity for praise to prompt and instruct." e.g. I like the speech you made but next time include some examples. As important as achieving results is understanding what is causing those results so that you can fix things when circumstances changes. Measurement, feedback, a problem solving model, goal setting and shaping are parts of performance management. I liked that the writer used many examples from his vast experience. The best way to break an old habit is to replace it with a new one.

The book made me think that much about the workplace boils down to behaviour and how to reinforce the right behaviours. Same would apply to everyday life. How to promote good behavior? Behavior that supports a mission statement and a vision for the future. People need opportunities to learn and grow. We must become lifelong learners. We have to feel good about ourselves and our work. Let's reinforce the good in us and celebrate us being the best we can be. We are products of our environment. Let us promote values and environments that bring out the best in people. Importantly, let us treat each other as we would want to be treated. The book gave me an appreciation of how difficult it could be to manage people given how many differing thoughts on what should and should not be done that most likely exists.

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Anonymous said…
Interesting insight
October 1, 2023 at 10:04 PM
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