The Overall

Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz – The Power of Full Engagement

Think back to the times you felt most alive. Whatever be the memory you recall, it’s bound to be one of a time when all your senses were fully immersed and engaged.

Those must have been the moments when you were bursting with such a surplus of energy that you completely lost sense of the world around you. This is the basic premise on which Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz base their book. In this ground-breaking work titled The Power of Full Engagement, you’ll find information that’s adapted from the training programs of the world’s highest performing athletes. Information that tells you what your grandmother knew already – concentrate on feeling good and you’ll get more done.

This is a book that tackles the issue of increasing energy levels at four levels – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. It explains how the right diet, exercise and regular eating and sleeping habits can improve your physical energy reserves. Just as the latest GPS device is useless unless you, the operator, decide the destination, so also it is with your mind. All the knowledge it stores is useless until you provide it a goal to work towards.

When you hear it said that Loehr and Schwartz have 25 years of experience in training professional athletes, you’ll expect them to talk a lot about physical fitness. The book is a pleasant surprise however – it talks more about powers of the mind and the spirit.

This actually makes sense. Time and again, the world of sport has provided ample evidence of an irrefutable fact – that mental toughness invariably prevails over physical fitness. This book is an outcome of the results they achieved with athletes at the highest levels of the game. It’s tough to imagine ordinary people being as motivated – but if you happen to be one of those rare souls, this book can work miracles for you.

There are quite a few charts and tools that will appeal to those of an analytical bent of mind. Those who’re struggling from the overpowering sense of helplessness of coping with the daily rush will learn how to replenish sagging energy levels. In fact, as the authors imply, athletes have it easier – they train with concentration and nothing but the goal in sight. For normal people rushing around to get their work and home in order, such kind of exclusive me-time is a luxury. But using the techniques laid down by Loehr and Schwartz, you can gradually build up your capacity to discover potential hitherto unknown to you

People with some kind of a background in HR training will find the book easier to follow. However, given a little persistence, even others less familiar can make use of the pointers this book provides. Understanding the theoretical aspects is not as significant as putting simple ideas into practice.

It’s the small changes we make in daily routines that can form the basis for a more systematic life. Reading ‘The Power of Full Engagement’ can be the guide you need to get you started on this task.

Summary
The authors, founders of and executives at LGE Performance Systems, an executive training program based on athletic coaching programs, offer a program aimed at stressed individuals who want to find more purpose in their work and ways to better handle thei

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Delivery: Global

The authors, founders of and executives at LGE Performance Systems, an executive training program based on athletic coaching programs, offer a program aimed at stressed individuals who want to find more purpose in their work and ways to better handle their overburdened relationships.

Just as athletes train, play and then recover, people need to recognize their own energy levels. "Balancing stress and recovery is critical not just in competitive sports, but also in managing energy in all facets of our lives. Emotional depth and resilience depend on active engagement with others and with our own feelings." Case studies demonstrate how some modest changes can have an immediate impact. Loehr (Mental Toughness Training for Sports) and Schwartz (Art of the Deal, writing with Donald Trump) also include a chart highlighting Action Steps, Targeted Muscle, Desired Outcome and Performance Barrier and apply these tenets to individual cases.

A chart analyzing the benefits and costs to taking certain action shows the impact negative behavior can have on both physical and mental well-being.

However, the actual "training program" whereby readers can learn how to institute certain rituals to change their behavior is less well-defined. Managers and other employees who have attended HR seminars may find this plan easy to use, but self-employed people and others less familiar with "training" may be unable to recognize their behavior patterns and change them.