New York Times Bestseller “Bringing Out the Best in Others” also teaches us how to bring out the best in ourselves.

Bard Press (2004)
ISBN 188516758X
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (7/06)

New York Times Bestseller “Bringing Out the Best in Others” also teaches us how to bring out the best in ourselves.  By applying the principles taught in the book to ourselves, we become better people and are more likely to accomplish our goals.  We can use these concepts to bring out the best in areas of parenting, production, teamwork, and teaching.  Three factors that need to be addressed to accomplish these goals are:  we need to have positive expectations, we need to establish accountability, and, we need to provide feedback.  Taking these three steps will lead to the goals being accomplished and the final outcome will be successful.

Connellan teaches you how these factors work, he gives you the tools to apply them, and shows you the structure to put them into practice.  His writing style is very smooth and easy to follow.  A lot of the book is written in a dialogue form so that you feel like you are actually sitting down and talking one-on-one with him. Connellan talks about how our expectations really can affect the performance of others.  I think that this idea is so important to understand.  As a teacher of students with disabilities, I need to remember not to try to affect my students by limiting them with my beliefs about what they can actually accomplish.  Connellan says that if you expect the best in others, you will get it.

Accountability needs to be established so that others take responsibility for their actions. This should be done in a way so that it is positive and does not appear to be placing blame.  Connellan wants you to use three types of feedback to bring out the best in those that you are working with: motivational, informational, and developmental.  He has found that using the combination of these three gets the results that are needed.

I highly recommend this book to parents, teachers and employers.  Applying the principles listed here will motivate the people that we work with to do their best.   If you are not one of these people, but you are involved with being on a team, this would be a great gift for your team leader or your boss.  It would make a great boss’s day gift!