From Library Journal
Written as a tale from a mythical time when dragons roamed and knights slew them with magic arrows, this book takes us behind the scenes to those poor assembly-line workers who made the magic arrows. Unfortunately, not only are the dragons multiplying faster than the knights can kill them and rival villages are springing up promising fewer dragons, but the arrow makers are unhappy and unfulfilled in their work. Three of them decide to improve their work life. Not only do they succeed, but with the help of a wizard they end up diversifying into producing magic cleaning wands. Byham and Cox (Zapp: The Lightning of Empowerment, Crown, 1990) have written a fable intended to motivate employees. To succeed in that task they will need more substance than this book offers. Not recommended.--Joshua Cohen, Mid-Hudson Lib. System, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
One of the burgeoning business fields of the 1990s seems to be human resources--that is, keeping your employees not only happy but productive and ambitious to do more. In their previous book, Zapp! The Lightning of Empowerment (1989), leading human resource expert Byham teamed with Cox to teach employers and managers how to persuade employees to increase production on their own. HeroZ targets the workers themselves, demonstrating that they can be content in their jobs if they take charge of their own careers, identify areas of improvement, and work with one another to make things better for everyone. Sounds like a tall order and a potentially a deadly dull book, but the authors juice up the action with a fantasy tale of knights and castles serving as a metaphor for any large modern-day firm. Seems the folks in "Tower Two" of the castle need to increase arrow production to fight dragons, and Dave the Wizard teaches the workers the use of empowerment, which he calls "zapp!" HeroZ is loaded with little inspirational catchphrases ("Quality is only one aspect of being productive," "Offer help without taking responsibility for action," etc.) as reminders of the common goals of the workers and is infinitely preferable to ponderous business tomes. Expect this to fly off the business-section shelves. Joe Collins


From Kirkus Reviews
Byham and Cox (Zapp!, not reviewed) tell a facile fable about dragon-slaying in order to spread yet another business gospel about quality, teamwork, and empowerment. The goal, presumably, is to enable legions of suited workers to imagine that they're really armored Lancelots, that their workstations are noble mounts, and that the business of making a living--or a widget, or an arrow--is just as heroic as the deeds of Arthurian legend. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Book Description
"I hate Mondays."
"They say I'm responsible, but my boss makes all the decisions."
"We're supposed to work as a team, but everybody's out for themselves."
Sound familiar? You don't have to take it anymore!
In HeroZ, you'll actually have fun learning how to survive and even thrive in today's work world. Step-by-step techniques--proven by thousands of companies around the globe--show you how to make meaningful decisions, measure your progress, and work efficiently in teams. By the time you finish reading HeroZ, you'll feel that you control your job, not that your job controls you.
Millions of leaders have been energized by its bestselling predecessor, Zapp!: The Lightning of Empowerment. The Wall Street Journal declared that "Zapp! helped redefine the genre" of business books. Fortune magazine's reviewer raved, "I couldn't put it down."
Now, with HeroZ, you can restore meaning and purpose to your work life and make a real difference--no matter where you fall on the organizational chart!


From the Inside Flap
"I hate Mondays."
"They say I'm responsible, but my boss makes all the decisions."
"We're supposed to work as a team, but everybody's out for themselves."
Sound familiar? You don't have to take it anymore!
In HeroZ, you'll actually have fun learning how to survive and even thrive in today's work world. Step-by-step techniques--proven by thousands of companies around the globe--show you how to make meaningful decisions, measure your progress, and work efficiently in teams. By the time you finish reading HeroZ, you'll feel that you control your job, not that your job controls you.
Millions of leaders have been energized by its bestselling predecessor, Zapp!: The Lightning of Empowerment. The Wall Street Journal declared that "Zapp! helped redefine the genre" of business books. Fortune magazine's reviewer raved, "I couldn't put it down."
Now, with HeroZ, you can restore meaning and purpose to your work life and make a real difference--no matter where you fall on the organizational chart!

ANNOTATION

In their exciting new book, the authors of Zapp! The Lightning of Empowerment (which has sold more than 750,000 copies) reveal how anyone in an organization can find new meaning and purpose in work. The step-by-step techniques outlined in the book will help readers improve efficiency and learn to take control of their jobs.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"I hate Mondays." "They say I'm responsible, but my boss makes all the decisions." "We're supposed to work as a team, but everybody's out for themselves." Sound familiar? You don't have to take it anymore! In HeroZ, you'll actually have fun learning how to survive and even thrive in today's work world. Step-by-step techniques - proven by thousands of companies around the globeshow you how to make meaningful decisions, measure your progress, and work efficiently in teams. By the time you finish reading HeroZ, you'll feel like you control your job, not like your job controls you. Millions of leaders have been energized by its best-selling predecessor, ZAPP! The Lightning of Empowerment. The Wall Street Journal declared, "ZAPP! helped redefine the genre" of business book. Fortune magazine's reviewer said, "I couldn't put it down." Now with HeroZ, you can restore meaning and purpose to your work and make a real difference - no matter where you fall on the organizational chart!

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal