Work Is Personal: How Authenticity Drives Performance and Culture - Hardcover

by Amy P. Kelly (Author)

Connect with talent on a personal level to improve organization-wide performance

Written by renowned talent development consultant Amy P. Kelly, Work Is Personal: How Authenticity Drives Performance and Culture dispels the notion that work is separated from employees' personal lives and instead argues that employers must meet employees on a personal level to earn their loyalty and increase their effectiveness and productivity.

This book takes a deep dive into important employee considerations in the modern world of work, including benefits, HR, and talent development, providing key insights on the best way to approach the topics that employees care about most. Real-life stories serve as examples of how each facet of work can make or break an employee's relationship to an organization. Practical guidelines are provided to help readers start applying concepts as soon as today.

This book includes discussion on:

• Talent acquisition and onboarding, performance management, and compensation
• Reward and recognition and employee development
• Exit interviews and employee alumni programming

Work Is Personal earns a well-deserved spot on the bookshelves of all forward-thinking managers and business leaders seeking to better connect with employees and improve organization-wide performance through a more personal approach to talent management.

Front Jacket

Hidden in plain sight, there is a secret behind all of the richest and most successful employee/employer relationships: work IS personal, and when personal support is not provided during challenging workplace situations, employees can quickly lose faith in an organization.

In Work Is Personal: How Authenticity Drives Performance and Culture, renowned talent development consultant Amy P. Kelly shows how to create profound connections with other members of your organization, especially in a leadership role. The book dismantles the long-standing but outdated concept of "it's not personal, it's just business," offering a six-step B.E. R.E.A.L. Framework that helps you navigate every stage of your workplace relationships and show employees that they are far more than cogs in a machine.

Discover key insights on:

• Supporting potential employees even before an offer of employment has been extended, and continuing that support during the hiring process
• How the human connection is challenged in hybrid, remote, and technology-supported workplaces, and how to harness this awareness to drive meaningful connections
• Opportunities to solidify the employee/ employer bond when mistakes and challenges occur, combining individual support with programmatically available resources to create a balance that is personal and professional
• Ways to handle voluntary and involuntary exits, where leaders can maintain healthy personal relationships even when ending the employment relationship
• Job aids and other resources related to each employment stage and the associated B.E. R.E.A.L. situations and strategies

Packed with personal stories showing how your commitment to authenticity can transform workplace relationships, Work Is Personal is required reading for business leaders, executives, and managers across roles and industries.

Back Jacket

PRAISE FOR work is personal

"In Work Is Personal, Amy captures what so many leaders intuitively feel but struggle to express: that people don't check their hearts at the office door. Whether we're talking about a Fortune 500 company, a school district, or a community nonprofit, success always comes down to the same truth, relationships drive results."
--JON GORDON, 18x Bestselling author of The Energy Bus and The Power of Positive Leadership

"Amy parlays her experience and expertise into a book packed with examples, tools, and an actionable framework that shows you how to harness the maximum power of your team's potential by embracing the human connection. Well researched. Well documented. Work Is Personal promises to be the definitive reference for any organizational leader."
--ELAINE BIECH, CPTD Fellow, ISA Thought Leader, and Author of Skills for Career Success

"With her B.E. R.E.A.L. Framework, she gives leaders a practical roadmap for what I've always known: when you invest in people as whole humans from their first interaction through their final goodbye, everyone wins. This isn't soft skills rhetoric, it's a hard-business strategy backed by data, brought to life with stories that will make you rethink everything about how you lead."
--DR. BEVERLY KAYE, Bestselling Coauthor of Love 'Em or Lose 'Em: Getting Good People to Stay and Internationally Recognized Expert in Employee Engagement and Retention

"Whether you're a CEO, an HR executive, or a leader at any level, I encourage you to look beyond the platitudes. Use the strategies, frameworks, and insights in this book to build a culture of authentic human connection. Your employees will thank you -- and your organization will reap the rewards for years to come."
--ART RICHER, CEO and Leadership Advisor

"In a world obsessed with hustle, Amy P. Kelly's Work Is Personal is a refreshing guide back to what truly matters: people. She masterfully blends research, storytelling, and heart to help leaders create environments where everyone is valued and can perform in their purpose. This is the book every organization needs right now."
--AMBERLY LAGO, Bestselling Author of True Grit and Grace and Joy Through the Journey

Author Biography

AMY P. KELLY speaks, coaches, and consults as Vice President of Consulting for Jon Gordon's Positive Training Company, in her role as a facilitator for the Association for Talent Development (ATD), and in her own business. She believes in people and organizations and works alongside them to help them become the individuals and organizations they were created to be. Her clients, including GE, McDonalds, Walmart, Dow, TekSynap, and Kontoor Brands, span government, enterprise technology, healthcare, financial services, nonprofit, higher education, and sports teams, among others.