Over the last fifteen years, numerous individuals have shared with me how they have used the five love languages in their workplaces. One supervisor said, “We don’t call them love languages. We call them appreciation languages. But it is the same concept and it really is powerful. It has greatly enhanced the work climate in our office. Our employees are happier and more productive.”
Many people have encouraged me to write a book on the languages of appreciation and the impact they can have on employee satisfaction and increased productivity. Since my experience has been in the area of marriage and family counseling, I wanted to find a coauthor who had both the academic credentials and business experience. When I met Dr. Paul White, I knew that I had found such a person. For the past several years, Dr. White has specialized in helping family-owned businesses effectively pass the company to the next generation. In that role, he has worked closely with leaders in a diverse array of organizations.
For the past five years, Dr. White and I have been working together on the Motivating by Appreciation Project. We began by creating the MBA Inventory, which helps individual employees discover their primary appreciation language, their secondary language, and the language that is least meaningful to them. Using this inventory, Dr. White has conducted pilot projects in various business settings. The feedback has been extremely encouraging. We have discovered that, indeed, what makes one employee feel appreciated is not what makes another employee feel appreciated. However, when a supervisor or fellow employee learns to speak the primary appreciation language of the individual, the results are truly significant. It is our desire that the book and the MBA Inventory will be used to help thousands of business leaders create a more positive work climate and enhance the productivity of their employees by learning to speak their primary language of appreciation.
We sincerely believe that what you are about to read will enable you to create a corporate climate where those you work with feel deeply appreciated—and will respond to that appreciation with renewed loyalty and strengthened commitment to the success of the company.