Enos

verses 1-19 - Enos prays
These verses show an example of how our attitudes and behavior can change, even in a relatively short amount of time.  Enos started by praying for himself, and when he received forgiveness for his sins, he desired the welfare of his brethren, the Nephites and Lamanites.
As we receive great blessings in our own lives, we then desire to share that with our family, friends, and everyone else we know.  We gain forgiveness and other blessings through our faith and acting on that faith.

verse 23 - "...there was nothing save it was exceeding harshness...and exceedingly great plainness of speech, would keep them from going down speedily to destruction..."
You could look at this method of teaching and say, "well, this method kept the people from destruction, so that's what we need to do, too!"  There is a fundamental flaw with this attitude - this method of teaching is exactly that: a teaching method.  A method is also a theory...a model that the prophets used at that time because it worked, based on the people's current status/behavior.
The flaw would be if we tried to use that one method as a "catch-all" method for every situation in exhorting and calling people to repentance.
We should not limit our thinking.
Many times, just helping people understand the doctrines of the gospel will help them improve their behavior.  It doesn't have to be harsh if it doesn't need to be.