The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working

Tony SchwartzWith

Jean Gomes and Catherine McCarthy

The Four Forgotten Needs that Energize Great Performance makes a compelling case for a new kind

of workplace, a better way of working and a more deeply satisfying way of life.

In brief….

Employers and employees alike share an unspoken assumption that human beings are capable of

operating in the same way computers do: continuously, at ever higher speeds, running

multiple programs at the same time.

More and More, Less and Less

Its never enough….◦ No matter how much value we produce – dollars, sales, goods

or widgets

We Run faster, Stretch out our arms further and stay longer at work.

Less capacity for focused attention. Less time for any given task Less opportunity to think reflectively and long term Less energy for our families Less time to wind down and relax Lesser hours to sleep Less rested in the mornings – Less than fully engaged

and less focus

Effect…..a series of Less es..

The issue is not the number of hours we sit behind a desk but the energy we ring to the work we do and the value we generate as a result.

Research suggest that we r most productive when we move between periods of high focus and intermittent rest.

Our 4 Primary Needs

Significance - Spirit

Self Expression - Mind

Security - Emotions

Sustainability - Body

What I stand for and believe – what gives me a sense of meaning

Freedom to develop and express my unique skills and talent

Feeling appreciated / cared for/ valued for who I am

Being able to take care of myself , renew, so am healthy, fit

Reflect on the 4 key energy needs

Think of a typical day at work – how much of your day do you spend working without breaks for a long period of time

Identify one of the employees whose work isnt as good as you think and which of the 4 core needs could you do a better job of helping that person to meet.

Actions

“We are already the most overinformed, underreflective people in the history of civilization “

Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey (Harvard based psychologists and leading adult devp thinkers)

“Flatland” Ken Wilber – Writer and Philosopher

Chasing Daylight Book by Kelly o Neil about the life he led (KPMG Chief)

Self Deception - Skilled at denial because it helps us avoid discomfort. ◦ “To err is human – but firstly you need to recognize that you have

erred”◦ Eg – None of the major financial players in the recent meltdown came

forward to take personal resp for the catastrophic decision so many of them made

We Cant Change What We Don’t Notice

Many Companies value the whole constellation of qualities on the left side far more than the right

But by celebrating one set and undervaluing another, we lose access to essential dimensions of ourselves – and others

www.theenergyproject.com – Energy audit abouth the 4 key energy dimensions

Start a journal about you feeling at diff points during the day – Observing our emotions allows us to be more intentional about our behavior

List 3 our your greatest strengths ◦ Identify the way you tend to behave when you overrely on

these strengths – or how you overuse one of the strengths you hv indentified

Actions

Will and Discipline are wildly overrated !!!◦ Struggle to make change that lasts.

Bite off only what you can chew◦ Knowing the limit of our willpower, it makes sense to undertake only

fewer rituals than many…◦ Start small and build on success incrementally

Precision and Specificity◦ By defining precisely when we r going to undertake a behavior, we

reduce the amt of energy we have to expend to get it done

What we Resist Persists

We’re Creature of Habit

If physical energy is the foundation of all dimensions of energy, sleep is the foundation of physical energy.

Our body rhythm – Awake during day, sleep during night◦ We operate best if followed by this rhythm.

Eg – Experiment on Rats

Obesity and most illness arise due to lack of sleep

NAP – The undervalued power

Sleep or Die !!!

Renewal Room – How many organizations have that !!!

Most organization give health benefits as way of perks rather than to drive higher performance

Per iodization refers to the way an athlete trains in cycles – high intensity with periods of recovery – daily, weekly, monthly or yearly

Mondays are like warm ups – and it’s the best day for low demand works like planning, administration…etc◦ Over next 2 days we are ramped up and at the peak – the best time in an org to

strategize, imp meetings..◦ By Thurs our energy begins to ebb and can be a good day for reaching consensus.◦ By Fri, we are at the lowest level and can be best used for relationship building, open

ended work and low range planning.

Creating a culture that pulses..

Every org has a distinct emotional climate and typically its set from the top◦ The leader of the org is thus called “Chief Energy Officer”

The core resp of great leaders is to mobilize, focus, inspire and regularly renew the energy of those they lead.

A New value proposition

Our attention is under siege.

We are incapable of multitasking. Unlike computers we r hard wired to undertake tasks sequentially

We perform best when we are most singularly focused

A poverty of Attention