Outswim the Sharks: How to Quadruple Your Team's Productivity with Kindness (Perfect Paperback)

~ Reut Schwartz-Hebron (Author), Lisa Rojany Buccieri (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Out Swim the Sharks" will open your eyes to the fact that in a global economy where connections between talented people and companies is the key engine of business growth, kindness is the lubricant that eliminates friction and enhances creatively productive relationships." --Robert Hargrove, Coaching guru and bestselling author of Masterful Coaching

"The author posits a bold and evolutionary thesis: a shift from vertical to horizontal thinking in organizations facilitates excellence in performance that exceeds results achieved by conventional problem solving methods based on analysis and logic and vertical conclusions. A lateral reorganization of experience places value on the quality of relationships, integrative thinking and inclusion of all perspectives in the problem solving process. The application of this revolutionary view should transform not only organizational but personal outcomes. I heartily recommend this book." --Harville Hendrix, Ph. D. cofounder and president of The Institute for Imago Relationship Therapy and author of the best seller Getting the Love You Want: A Guide for Couples.

"We are reaching the point in our evolution in society where we need - and are able - to step back to a higher level of abstraction and meta-cognition on how things are, how they could be and the role we can play in transforming them from one to the other. Reut's book combines emerging and unconventional insights and perspectives in a provocative way that will give people who are exploring the boundaries of human mastery a set of intervention tools for creating a better world. It's a frank and brave expression of a perspective that seeks to combine the physical and attitudinal." --Gary Berlet, #1 expert on Systemic Thinking worldwide, CEO of Productivity Solutions International

Product Description

Outswim the Sharks reveals seven revolutionary techniques that will allow a kind management style to prosper. Managers and executives have good reason to think that kindness has no place in the business world. Current philosophy is that it s a shark-eat-shark mentality out there and if you try to be nice you are much more likely to get stepped on than to achieve outstanding business results. Outswim the Sharks takes the reader through a step by step explanation of how to overcome the dysfunctional side effects of a kind management style and enjoy the many benefits it has to offer. Systemic thinking, receptiveness, and core analysis will show managers how to dramatically reduce turnover, increase innovation, and build problem-solving and strategic planning skills. Outswim the Sharks shows managers that kindness, combined with the right set of skills, results in better business. A kind management style is the only way to harness an employee s desire to excel, to reduce long term voluntary turnover and increase commitment, creating a safe atmosphere that allows for innovation and creativity. If kindness was enough to inspire productivity and innovation on its own we would see more people using it to produce results. Kindness is not enough on its own; it must be accompanied by the right set of skills in order to lead to productivity. In the real world, managers who practice kindness need to know how to deal with conflicts, set boundaries, and ignite the spirit of excellence. They need what the author refers to as kind excellence skills. With these skills managers will achieve unparalleled results; without them, they will be stepped on. What Will Outswim The Sharks Do For You? Give managers the power and benefits of teaching expert skills to novices. Train managers to build on the power of kindness in order to deal with the most difficult employees, create boundaries, and lead business to maximum productivity. Give managers the skills they need to put their staff through the most rigorous and fulfilling training program. Result in a desire to excel as a team, and as individuals, through high productivity per employee, employee commitment, reduced turnover, team work, synergy, greater innovation, creativity and much more.

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Product Details

• Perfect Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Real House Press; #1 edition (December 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0979939402
• ISBN-13: 978-0979939402
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,954,935 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Outswim The Sharks by Reut Schwartz-Hebron, April 23, 2008

By	Vincent Zirpoli - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Most experienced managers recognize that systems within an organization control as a maximum to influence as a minimum the behavior of people within that entity. Therefore, if the goal is to change behavior, the systems (both conscious and subliminal) supporting the current behavior must be surfaced. Reut's book gives a different and helpful perspective for identifying the DNA of many subliminal behavior influencing systems. This in itself can facilitate the systemic change required to support the desired behavior. I strongly recommend this book for those managers who want to look beyond the obvious.

Vincent L. Zirpoli, CEO Mega Marketing Inc

4.0 out of 5 stars Kindness + Power = A Winning Combination, April 20, 2008

By	Kaila J. Colbin - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Too many people mistake 'being kind' for 'being a pushover.' This valuable book demonstrates quite the opposite: namely, that kindness can produce results that are far more profound, far more dramatic, and far more sustainable. Your staff will thank you for reading it and following its counsel.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Paradigm Shift for Management, April 19, 2008

By	James C. J. Fairfield, MD FAAD (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

"Outswim the Sharks" is a rare gift - a complete work of historical merit defining a New Way of looking at management. In this book you hold in your hands incisive solutions to employee empowerment management dilemmas that have plagued corporations and smaller companies for years.
The old and tired maxim of "all employees go bad eventually" and the simplistic practice annually of firing the bottom 20% producing workforce simply vanish with Reut Schwartz-Hebron's teachings.
Her clear delineation of her principles of kindness and excellence, combined into her KindExcellence theorem, when implemented, trigger a cascade - a consequent organizational chain reaction guaranteed to turn heads - directly and positively catapulting a business into unprecedented profitability.
I have been in medical management for over two decades and regret not having her book by my side over these years. Believe me, "Outswim the Sharks" is now our management Bible.
Whether a small business or large corporation, Reut's book applies equally well, and I'll offer this friendly warning: ignore her book at your own peril.
James C. J. Fairfield, MD FAAD