THE WAY WE'RE WORKING ISN'T WORKING: The Four Forgotten Needs That Energize Great Performance

by Tony Schwartz, Jean Gomes and Catherine McCarthy

More. Faster. Bigger. That's the credo of the modern workplace. Unfortunately, we have a finite pool of energy, and humans are not designed to run non-stop like machines. Faced with ceaseless demands, endless distractions and information overload, we feel disengaged, depleted, and distracted. In this book, Tony Schwartz explains why our current way of working isn’t working. Instead of working longer and harder, it's time to pay attention to 4 fundamental needs and sources of energy to unlock peak performance in a sustainable way.

In this summary, you'll learn:

• The 4 main sources of energy—physical, emotional, mental and spiritual—that fuel all human beings, and how they relate to our 4 fundamental needs for sustainability, emotional security, self-expression and significance. Find out why our current way of working is so draining and ineffective, and what you can do about it.

• How to achieve optimal, sustainable peak performance by alternating rhythmically between activity and rest, and by expanding your capacity in 4 areas to energize yourself. Specifically, you'll find out how to toggle between sustainable sources of physical energy (Energize and Chill), between positive emotional states (Renewal and Performance zones), between states of absorbed mental focus (Tactical and Big Picture zones), and how to tap on your core values/purpose to bring out your Best-Self.

• How to get started by developing personal awareness, facilitate change with rituals and habits, and forging a real partnership at work.

Who should read this:
• Business leaders, managers, human resource managers and those responsible for people-development; and
• People who're interested in personal and organizational effectiveness, productivity, and peak performance