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The Encore Effect: How to Achieve Remarkable Performance in Anything You Do

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Reading THE ENCORE EFFECT by Mark Sanborn kept reminding me of something my father used to tell my brothers and me when we were kids growing up. "Boys, never settle for doing a good job when you have the ability to do a great one." My father is gone now but his sage words live on.

There is so much to like about this book. That statement my father used to make really sums up what this book is about. We human beings have a propensity for doing just enough to get by or on our good days, doing a good job. For me the point was really driven home at the conclusion of the 6th grade when my history teacher handed me my 4 part essay with a note that said, "See me after class." I got 3 100's and a 95, so I was certain that he wanted to praise my work. What I got instead was a butt-chewing for not putting forth that kind of effort all year long. He said in 20 years of teaching it was one of the best essays he had read, so why didn't do that kind of work every day?

Between my dad's sage advice and the reprimand of Mr. Simon, my 6th grade history teacher, the message stuck, but it is reinforced here by Sanborn's book. The beautiful thing about this book is, there is not a person alive these lessons don't apply to. I started to say, "If you work for a living, you need to read this book", but that is not all inclusive. This is also for students, stay-at-home parents (yes, I know, they DO work), and even someone who's current job is looking for a job, there is always a way to try a little harder, to give just a little more effort. That's what the encore effect is all about.

Written in typical Sanborn fashion, this is a quick and easy read that is packed with wisdom. You will never regret the few hours it takes you to read this book.

As Mark Sanborn states in the inside cover of his new book, " everyday we are called to perform - at work, at home, in our communities. But is it possible to make every performance outstanding, the kind that leaves people appauding for an encore?" It is possible! I think about these words, and where our world is at this very moment! So many people just try and get by with their lives, jobs,and passions. What happened to striving for excellence? The Encore Effect, By Mark Sanborn, is the best book he has written in my opinion. He will motivate you, inspire you, and lead to to changing the things you are doing to become greater! The book is a fast read, about 2 solid hours. You will highlight his points and benefit greatly from his words! Buy the book, read it, and APPLY it in your life! We should all command an ENCORE! .

The Encore Effect: How to Achieve Remarkable Performance in Anything You Do
Review by Richard L. Weaver II, PhD.

The first and most impressive part of Mark Sanborn's book, "Encore Effect: How to Achieve Remarkable Performance in Anything You Do" is his heavy use of interesting examples. This is a well-written, interesting book full of practical, useful suggestions. Does it offer something totally new or unique? No. But, there are some insights cast in a slightly new way. For example, with respect to speeches and presentations, he offers four ways for affecting an audience: 1. Move them to act. 2. Make them feel good. 3. Cause them to laugh. 4. Stimulate them to think. His discussion of passion (i.e., it invigorates, inspires, sustains, comforts, initiates, completes, and enhances) and his four insights of a passionate performer are worth considering. His six p's for delivering a performance (i.e., passion, preparation, practice, performance, polish, and pitfalls) cast well-known ingredients as an alliteration. Sanborn's book is a useful starting point for those interested in excelling.

Mark Sanborn's powerful true story of a postman re-defined the "Service" in "Postal Service" was my first introduction to his work.
My commentary on his second book can only be summed up in the title: "You Don't Need a Title to be a Leader"!
I was more than excited to dig into his third book, "The Encore Effect" which completes my personal library trilogy of Sanborn books!

The reason I love each one of these Sanborn gems is because they teach powerful principles that can easily be remembered and applied in daily living. And to be honest with my busy schedule they are a quick, enjoyable airplane read!

"The Encore Effect" brings Mark's skill for framing masterful principles out into the light and onto the stage! The five P's; Passion, Preparation, Practice, Performance and Polish can be applied to transform average results into extraordinary success!

Bravo on another winner Mark!

For those of you who hesitate to pick up a self help type of book due to the impression that it may be slow or dry, then you are in for a delightful surprise with Mark Sanborn's Encore Effect. This treat is a page turner and easy to read. At times as the author describes stories of people making remarkable performances, I could feel a few tears well up in my eyes. Not only is it powerful, it is also inspiring. As I was reading this book, there was the motivation to do a remarkably good performance, and to be the best every day. To sum it up, the author gives you insight on what it might take to make that remarkable good performance, and leave the audience asking for more, thus the Encore Effect.

The book is divided into three main parts that provide logical transitions: understanding the Encore effect, achieving the Encore effect, and sharing the Encore effect. By the way, as I have learned from previous experience, its always good to read the forewords and introductions at the beginning of the book, the epilogues at the end of the book, in other words as the saying goes reading the book from cover to cover. Reading these sections can provide a lot of insight into how the author wants the reader to read the book and what he wants the reader to gain from the book, and this is no different in the Encore Effect. So, I would encourage reading the section that starts with When reading the Encore Effect......., and also the Introduction to this book. My favorite part of the book is the section on practicing to be the best, and specifically the examples of how great performers at some point in their lives have failed. It speaks to the old proverb "Failures are the stepping stones to success".

I would recommend this book to all, specifically I would encourage college students and new college graduates entering the workforce to pick up and read this book. It is not only about how to be a remarkable performer; in a way it is also about harnessing passions to achieve your dreams. This is a self help book to have in your collection to read over several times.

Following in the type of many recent writers Mark has focused the energy of his latest writing on the significant power to change that exists in all of us. In particular I enjoyed the carefully detailed thoughts and mechanisms to achieve the greatest of ovations. This book follows in the tradition of change and service that Mark has made his moniker. It is enlightening and encouraging. It makes no grand promise outside of the promise that exists in the reader. The thought provoking questions about how others see you should cause sincere soul searching. For all us have a quest for the greatest encore yet few of us ever achieve a standing ovation. This book is now part of our required reading for our staff.

If you are looking to rise to the top in any area of your life, give this book a read and enjoy your personal Encore.

Mark Sanborn creates another classic with this book. He provides excellent tips on how to ensure you are performing on a high level in everything you do. While it will require work, Mark deserves a standing ovation for making it so simple and achievable.

The Encore Effect occurs when, according to the book's author Mark Sanborn, "people consistently demand more and more of whatever it is you do." Notably, achieving a Remarkable Performance can be in anything you do, not just performing on a stage or making presentation.

In this book, Sanborn is able to take the concept of Remarkable Performance - the kind of performance that keeps people asking for more - and package it into something concise, rememberable and actionable. According to Sanborn, Remarkable Performance is brought on by Passion(P), Discipline(D) and Action(A). In other words, the formula for an Encore Effect is RP = P + D + A. Simple and easy to remember.

I like how Sanborn challenges the mantra of "it's good enough," with "the difference is in the details" and the idea of continuously polishing your presentation (your work project, your term paper, etc) before and after you make it.

Sanborn admits that achieving an "Encore Effect" is not easy; otherwise everyone would do it. However, Sanborn has laid out a nice little guide book to achieve the "Encore Effect."

Why not choose to be exceptional in everything important that you do? I can't think of a good reason to not pursue an "Encore Effect" other than laziness or indifference. If laziness or indifference is our answer, then maybe it's worth rethinking what we're doing.

"Encore" to Mark Sanborn in his latest book on elevating one's performance. As a motivational speaker presenting "ENCORE: 6 Secrets to Being a Show Stopper at Work", I found this book to be a chock-full of excellent ideas. I read it in one sitting - eagerly turning the pages to learn what insights were next. It was not only an easy read but it was filled with important concepts that are so often missed in our busy lives. I especially liked that Mark wove in the necessity of passion being present in order to deliver encore performances. His equation, Passion + Discipline + Action = Remarkable Performance is spot-on. We often think about what we need to do (disciplined action) in order to receive the result (remarkable performance) but we leave our individual passions and values out of the equation and this is a recipe for empty and unfulfilling success. I appreciated that Mark brings in all the important players in an encore performance - it's not just about the individual performing or about others who help support the performance or just about the audience - but it's a combination that makes a performance work. His notion of "sharing the encore effect" by helping others elevate their performance is so important in effective leading whether that is at work in teaming, at home in parenting or in the community in volunteering. The "Pitfalls: How to Keep From Stumbling" is an important and noteworthy chapter as it includes antidotes to common obstacles to peak performance. Bravo and "Encore" to Mark Sanborn.

Three earlier books in my personal library, which I hold with high regard, immediately come to my mind as I open Mark Sanborn's latest book, 'The Encore Effect', to read.

They are:

1) 'Top Performance: How to Develop Excellence in Yourself & Others', by Zig Ziglar (read during the eighties);

2) 'True Professionalism: The Courage to Care about Your People, Your Clients & Your Career', by David Maister (read during the late nineties);

3) 'Success Built to Last: Creating a Life That Matters', by Jerry Porras & others (read many months ago);

All three wonderful books had talked about attaining performance par excellence, especially from the individual perspective in an organisational setting.

After perusing Mark Sanborn's book, I realised that he has very artfully amalgamated, built on, extended & refined many important success attributes in the three earlier works. He has defined the end result as the Encore Effect, which also makes up the title of his book.

More remarkably unique is that he has very skillfully inter-weaved the three key elements of 'Remarkable Performance', or more specifically, the 'Performance Development Agenda (PDA)' as he calls it: comprising 'Passion', 'Discipline' & 'Action', into a series of five powerful steps.

Incidentally, the five steps to achieving the Encore Effect correspond to the principal traits that extraordinary performers have in common.

Each of the steps has been systematically crafted by the author for brilliant execution of the Encore Effect in any setting, be it the office, sales floor, boardroom or own home, so to speak.

Also, each concrete step is beautifully illustrated with engaging tales by the author - to me, the author is a remarkable "tale blazer" - in a full chapter, with the 5 steps from Chapter 5 to 9, plus a separate chapter 10 on pitfalls to avoid.

Naturally, an encore performance always entails commitment (the author's breakdown of it into 6 elements is remarkable!), professionalism, skills, values & integrity. Interestingly, the author equate these attributes as a critical part of personal branding, which I fully concur.

In the same vein, the burning fuel for encore performance is passion. ["I simply set myself on fire & people come to watch me burn." That's passion! (from John Wesley, a controversial maverick church founder)].

Remarkably, the author has offered his sound & inspiring advice covering these areas of concern.

In reality, besides the pragmatic strategies with concrete steps to achieving the Encore Effect, what I like most from the book are the author's lucid distinctions:

- all the world's a stage & life is a performance that we are always in charge of;

- start with everything extraordinarily well, but then adding our own imprint;

- isn't what we do, but how we do it, why we do it & who we do it for;

- when we focus on things we really like to do, we are likely to do them with passion - & do them remarkably well;

- when we work with people, every day is game day - an opportunity to wow them;

- we can choose our performance to be remarkable;

- remarkable performers exercise persistence - suggesting 'purposeful action' to "make the impossible possible, the possible likely & the likely definite";

- the point of every remarkable performance is to move people to act, to make them feel good, cause them to laugh & to stimulate them to think;

Best of all, to my delight, he even throws in an end chapter on how to help others perform remarkably.

In other words, we should always help others around us achieve remarkable performance through mentoring & empowering to enhance our own extraordinary performance. The world will certainly be a much better place.

Last but not least, I like the author's inverted 'The Pyramid of Possibility', as the foundation & expression of remarkability, in the last chapter, which I reckon is a very fitting conclusion of the book.

To conclude my review, I like to say this:

My first encounter with the author's work was during the nineties, when I had watched his 3-volume, high-content, almost four hours running, video program, 'High Impact Leadership: How to be More than a Manager'. Since then, I have always enjoyed his "encore performance", so to speak.