The Power of Full Engagement
By Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz

I have done nothing but recommend this down-to-earth synthesis of the human machine as manifested within our over-stressed everyday world since my business coach recommended it to me. Run do not walk, to your nearest bookstore. Here one finds the scientific research of the medical world melded with the new currency for high performance in the business world. Energy, not time, is now our most precious resource – “energy is the X factor that makes it possible to fully ignite talent and skill” – and those who know how to manage it skillfully consistently out perform those who don’t.

The authors, both of whom are prolific writers of many books individually, team up to marry Mr. Loehr’s expertise in sports medicine and the study of high performers therein to Mr. Schwartz’s considerable knowledge of the human mind and the empowerment of same. “The performance demands that most people face in their everyday lives and work environments dwarf those of any professional athlete [who] train 90% of their time to perform 10% of the time.” For the average manager/leader the percentages are reversed.

However, Mr. Loehr and Schwartz argue (very effectively, I might add) that to deliver sustained performance results, the human being must be willing to under go increased stress for short periods of time! Uh, say what? Don’t we all have enough already? Well, that’s where they start to make sense.

Linking the idea of sustained improvement to the readily available image of lifting weights or doing push-ups, for example, all of us can immediately appropriate the underlying concept: increased stress with appropriate recovery builds capacity. But planned recovery time is necessary for sustained performance.

The key here is that we don’t take the recovery time we need and wind up chronically tired in at least one of the four levels of human engagement: physical emotional, intellectual and spiritual. To build our leadership energy capacity the authors demonstrate how endurance, strength, flexibility, and resilience are the four cornerstones on which we must concentrate. If we do not replenish our energy resources on a regular, systematic basis, we end up making short-term, expedient choices that often undermine our energy and focus capacities.

This book provides some solutions that are easy to integrate and apply. There are plenty of real life examples culled from client histories that serve to provide clear links between the authors’ premises and the way one employs their theories. This is particularly helpful and one reason why I found the book a quick, easy read that answered a lot of questions I didn’t know I had. I really enjoy books like that.

The Power of Full Engagement is a must read for anyone who ends the day feeing tired, starts the day feeling cranky, or has begun wondering if all the stress is really worth it.

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Leadership Books Reviewed: Archives