A-HA! Performance: Building and Managing a Self-Motivated Workforce (Hardcover)

by Douglas Walker (Author), Stephen Sorkin (Author)
Key Phrases: performance map, automatic zone, hidden fundamentals, Intrinsic Motivation Point, Belonging Power, Survival Love (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Praise for A-HA! Performance

"Since I wrote Choice Theory many years ago, I have come to the conclusion that there is only one major human problem: we have yet to figure out how to get along well with each other. In this book, Walker supports this conclusion with humor, creativity, and great insight. Managers who both follow his suggestions and teach them to those they manage will be rewarded with a happy and profitable workplace. And do it at less cost than the company is spending now."
--William Glasser, MD, President and founder,William Glasser Institute, and author of Choice Theory and Reality Therapy

"If ever there was a title that perfectly matched the content of a book, this is it. I have never experienced more a-ha's from a book in my life. One of the biggest a-ha's is that you don't build a motivated workforce--you already have one! If you manage people--and especially if you aspire to truly lead people--then this book is required reading. Rock-solid ideas from a master on motivation."
--Joe Calloway, author of Work Like You're Showing Off!

"An amazingly practical and prodigiously useful resource to help create and bolster a world-class sales force, but also a blueprint for better living in general. An absolute mandatory read for all my employees, not to mention friends and family members. I don't know anyone who couldn't benefit from applying the A-HA model. The title might be more apropos if it were 'Holy cow! Where's this been my whole career?'"
--Robert H. Fleet, Branch Manager, National Builder Division, Countrywide Home Loans

"A-HA! Performance should be mandatory reading for every manager. Each chapter offers simple and compelling methods for building and managing a self-motivated workforce. The realistic examples presented throughout the book reinforce the steps in the A-HA model and provide the foundation for easy application to professional and personal situations."
--Ann Owens, Vice President, Total Rewards Management, QUALCOMM

"Avoiding a fight-or-flight reaction from an employee who needs coaching on improved performance or behavior changes requires the manager understand the employee's vested interest. Walker teaches the skills required to effectively create three wins: for the company, the employee, and the manager. It's a must-read for all leaders who want to be more proficient in getting needed performance changes from their employees by improving their own nurturing, coaching, or mentoring skills. I'm reading it for the third time and still gleaning more tips and insights. Even though it's constructed as a managerial self-help book, it's really an insightful, powerful textbook, and as such needs to be studied."
--Ron Cook, National Accounts Manager, 3M

From the Inside Flap

Many people are great at what they do, but when they become managers they aren't given basic human motivation management tools. Successfully building and managing a self-motivated workforce requires an awareness and a skill set far different from the expertise managers had in their specialty. Attracting and retaining top talent and continually improving performance requires a strong focus on the vested interests of employees. Managers who understand the eight Intrinsic Motivation Points (IMPs) that drive human performance have an edge over managers who don't.

This book reveals a powerful alternative to carrot-and-stick motivation. Achieving better results or maintaining desired results in an ever-changing environment requires an engaged and self-motivated workforce, one that will go the extra mile because its members want to, not because they fear the stick, or because they want the carrot, but because doing and achieving makes them feel good.

Getting other people to do the right thing, in the right time frame, with the right attitude is what makes success so challenging in business. In fact, getting ourselves to do the right thing, in the right time frame, with the right attitude is often challenging too. Doing the right thing requires the right kind of motivation.

Between what leaders ask of people and what they get from them is a series of internal steps, a thought process based on the eight IMPs. A-HA! Performance reveals that process and how to leverage those IMPs to energize performance and lead to better results. This revolutionary book provides the insight and information needed for building and leading a self-motivated workforce, showing how to manage employees, peers, bosses, and customers in ways that encourage buy-in and disarm resistance. Whether you need to improve performance, motivate and retain top performers, or improve your workplace environment, A-HA! Performance pinpoints what to do and how to do it.

For managers and business leaders in any industry, A-HA! Performance is a practical, timeless tool and a powerful philosophical framework that will not only improve the bottom line but also improve all your business and personal relationships.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (June 29, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 047011634X
• ISBN-13: 978-0470116340
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #632,028 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars USEFUL info on human motivation, July 2, 2007

By	Carla A. Webb "Carla Adwell Webb" (San Diego, California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book takes the mystery out of what inspires us to act. If you have been puzzled why an employee or team doesn't seem motivated in ways that support your goals, here is the answer. This work could transform your work environment and for that matter, the way you manage all your relationships...(including the one with yourself). Buy this for yourself, your management team and everyone you know that wants to build a strong environment where people thrive!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A-HA! Changed the way I motivate, July 12, 2007

By	Douglas Galloway (San Diego) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Before reading A-HA! Performance, we focused on motivating the workforce based on what the company thought employees should be motivated by. Now that we understand how to find their Intrinsic Motivation Points, it gives us tremendous insight about what Really motivates each individual. We have magnetized employees to the company's goals.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This was a real eye-opener!, September 24, 2007

By	Rima Rudner "Rima Rudner" (Pacific Palisades, CA) - See all my reviews

I loved reading "A-ha Performance" and can definitely use all the wisdom in it to motivate not only my employees, but myself. I learned so much about management and my workplace environment and can see the positive results already.
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