Many people assume that money is the mainstay of motivation. But in truth, the desire to accomplish extraordinary things is linked to basic human need: We all want to be respected for who we are and recognized for the things we do. While many leaders know this from experience, few know how best to act on it.

In Encouraging the Heart, the best-selling authors of The Leadership Challenge team up again to reflect upon one of the most elusive aspects of leadership-caring-and offer listeners a deeper understanding of how and why it works. More importantly, they extend a set of principles, practices, and examples that show how to energize people to excel and then reach for even greater heights.

Kouzes and Posner maintain that people will aspire to higher standards of performance when they are genuinely appreciated for their dedication and publicly recognized for their extraordinary achievements. And through the uplifting stories of ordinary people in leadership roles, the authors demonstra