A flawed but nevertheless indispensible exploration of what it takes to successfully communicate "I appreciate you" to colleagues and subordinates in the workplace.
The book explains five "languages" of appreciation: words of affirmation, tangible gifts, quality time, acts of service, and physical touch. Each person has a primary language--"It doesn't matter how often you tell me that I'm a valued contributor or give me gifts; I simply will NOT feel appreciated until you come alongside me and help out when I'm overwhelmed." Equally important, each person has a least valued language, which tends to be a blind spot: "Gifts mean nothing to me, so why would anyone expect me to give them?"
I appreciate how the book addresses practical challenges of "managing by appreciation" (MBA). For example, it recognizes that although some people react very favorably toward being touched and even NEED touch, any touch beyond a simple handshake or high-five is just too dangerous in the contemporary workplace. It recognizes finer-scale individual differences in the languages; for example, among people who need words of affirmation, some prefer those words to be delivered in public, others detest public recognition and prefer one-on-one communication. It briefly compares and contrasts related concepts such as recognition.
The book carries quite a bit of credibility, both because of the pedigree of the authors (Gary Chapman wrote the bestselling 5 Love Languages) and because the authors conducted quite a few quantitative and qualitative studies of the topic across a wide spectrum of workplaces.
As with many books on personality, this book requires the use of an instrument (test) to determine your type. If you buy your own copy of the book, you get a "free" code to take the test.
Unfortunately, the book has some serious shortcomings. First, although it was interesting and competently written, it was still a chore to read. Some of the text felt more like padding than like rich content. Second, it totally misses many of the biggest things which makes employees feel UNappreciated: lack of shared values and goals; lack of tools; policies and structures which stand in the way of working effectively; and gossip and backstabbing. Third, it doesn't recognize any possibility that there might be languages of appreciation other than the five that the authors used to begin their research.