Intention (eBook)
John Wiley & Sons (Verlag)
978-1-394-18916-8 (ISBN)
A science-backed recipe for creating engagement, fulfillment, and achievement
We're stuck. Stuck to the couch. Stuck scrolling. Stuck at work. Stuck in worn-out paths of habitual action. Stuck in patterns and echo chambers of thought. Stuck in carefully curated lives where we've traded our agency for endless comforts that wrap us in existential ennui.
As our eyes fixate on a constant parade of images meant to engage us, we notice something in the periphery. We see folks who are just like us, except they are actually, deeply happy and fulfilled. They seem to go through life with ease and grace, overcoming obstacles and making amazing things happen for themselves.
Peering closer, we see that these aren't gods or superhumans. They're just people who have chosen to not be stuck and decided to become the main characters in their own lives. Their success (as they define it!) is not a birthright bestowed upon a lucky few, but the result of lives lived with intention. And that's what this book is about - a practical guide on infusing purpose into life in a deliberate and evidence-based way.
Through a combination of inspiring stories about unlikely high performers and evidence from the bleeding edge of behavioral science, we present you with a toolkit for learning intention - not as a fluffy concept, but as five very trainable skills.
Get your copy of Intention today and live your potential.
MIKE JAMES ROSS is the CHRO of Simons, a leading North American retailer, where he helps over 5,000 employees thrive. Prior to Simons, Mike was a consultant at McKinsey, focused on transforming Fortune 100 companies into better workplaces. He then founded a coaching and leadership development firm that worked with global organizations such as Google and Cirque du Soleil.
SEKOUL THEODOR KRASTEV is a Co-Founder at The Decision Lab. Previously at Google and the Boston Consulting Group, his work in decision science has been featured in top peer-reviewed journals, conferences around the world, and in outlets such as The Huffington Post and The New York Times.
DAN PILAT is a Co-Founder at The Decision Lab, an applied behavioural science firm helping large organizations unlock social impact. Previously at The World Bank, Dan's work on decision-making has been featured in outlets such as Forbes, Bloomberg, and NBC.
MIKE JAMES ROSS is the CHRO of Simons, a leading North American retailer, where he helps over 5,000 employees thrive. Prior to Simons, Mike was a consultant at McKinsey, focused on transforming Fortune 100 companies into better workplaces. He then founded a coaching and leadership development firm that worked with global organizations such as Google and Cirque du Soleil. SEKOUL THEODOR KRASTEV is a Co-Founder at The Decision Lab. Previously at Google and the Boston Consulting Group, his work in decision science has been featured in top peer-reviewed journals, conferences around the world, and in outlets such as The Huffington Post and The New York Times. DAN PILAT is a Co-Founder at The Decision Lab, an applied behavioural science firm helping large organizations unlock social impact. Previously at The World Bank, Dan's work on decision-making has been featured in outlets such as Forbes, Bloomberg, and NBC.
Part I Fundamentals 1
Chapter 1 Introduction 3
Chapter 2 A Languishing World 9
Chapter 3 What Is Intention? 15
Chapter 4 Becoming Main Characters 21
Chapter 5 Intention Is Trainable 29
Part II Willpower 35
Chapter 6 The Surprising Impact of Willpower Attitude 37
Chapter 7 High Performers Have Nonlimited Willpower 45
Chapter 8 Physical Ingredients to Willpower 53
Chapter 9 How to Train the Experience of Willpower 63
Chapter 10 Willpower as a Team Sport 73
Part III Curiosity 79
Chapter 11 High Performers Are Curious 81
Chapter 12 Don't Stop (Re)believing 89
Chapter 13 How to Change Your Mind 95
Chapter 14 Believing Together 101
Part IV Integrity 111
Chapter 15 Living Our Values 113
Chapter 16 How to Uncover Your Values 121
Chapter 17 When Values Conflict 131
Chapter 18 Know Thy Team 141
Part V Attention 151
Chapter 19 High Performers Are Focused on the Right Things 153
Chapter 20 Directing the Spotlight 159
Chapter 21 Spotlights at Work 165
Chapter 22 Intentional Wandering 171
Chapter 23 Not All Flow Is Created Equal 177
Chapter 24 Focusing Teams 185
Part VI Habits 191
Chapter 25 The Roots of High Performance 193
Chapter 26 Taking Control of Unconscious Actions 197
Chapter 27 Finding the Power Within 207
Chapter 28 The Importance of Workplace Rituals 219
Part VII Closing 225
Chapter 29 Intention in Our Relationships 227
Chapter 30 The Garden of Intention 237
Notes 243
Index 267
"INTENTION is an exhilarating exploration into the power of purposeful living. Unearth the secrets of an engaging life, masterfully interwoven with science and practicality!"
--TONY ROBBINS, #1 New York Times bestselling author, entrepreneur and philanthropist
"INTENTION is a true gem that delves into the psychology behind high achievers while offering practical applications for those seeking success--despite feeling stuck or unmotivated. The brilliance of this book lies in its ability to simplify complex concepts, making them accessible to everyone. With a keen focus on the research surrounding successful individuals, the authors provide an invaluable guide for anyone striving to enhance their lives, achieve their goals, and unleash their full potential. This book is a must-read for anyone seeking growth and excellence in their personal and professional journey."
--DR. MARSHALL GOLDSMITH, Thinkers50 #1 Executive Coach and New York Times bestselling author of The Earned Life, Triggers, and What Got You Here Won't Get You There
"INTENTION decodes the art of personal growth in a distracted world, showing us the key to a richer life."
--NIR EYAL, bestselling author of Indistractable and Hooked
"If you're looking for a better way to be human, to get the most of your experience of being alive, look no further than this book. It's a treasure trove of insight."
--JEFF GOINS, bestselling author of The Art of Work
CHAPTER 2
A Languishing World
“I would prefer not to.”
— Herman Melville, Bartleby, the Scrivener
There's a powerful gravity to modern life, pulling us toward routine, passivity, and meaningless actions. We've all been victims of this force. It lures us to the couch when we should go for a run. It tempts us to watch TV instead of starting that creative project. It hinders us from taking a chance on love, taking control of our lives, and living up to our true potential.
In short, a staple of modern life is being in a state of languish. Neither mentally healthy nor mentally ill, just in a generalized “blah-ness.” Coined by Corey Keyes in the early 2000s, languish is an emptiness and stagnation, constituting “a life of quiet despair.” People who languish describe themselves and their lives as “hollow,” “empty,” “a shell,” and “a void.”1 As eloquently expressed by Adam Grant in his widely read New York Times piece, languishing comes with “the dulling of delight and the dwindling of drive.”2
How did we get here? How is it possible that in an era that has blessed us with longer life expectancy, and in societies with unprecedented comfort and security, we find ourselves grappling with escalating depression,3 anxiety,4 and suicide rates?5 Why is it that the same modern technology and tools that have made us almost godlike compared to our ancestors leave many of us feeling powerless? How is it that workplaces, that have never cared so much about fostering purpose and meaning, feel meaningless and empty? And why is it that more people than ever express a sense of disengagement or loss of interest and motivation?
The root of this disengagement is tremendously complex.6 One reason is that many of us live in an era of ease and convenience, where everything is taken care of. And in our work, we strive for higher and higher levels of specialization. So we can be more efficient. So we can be more successful. But while we were busy delegating the mundane to gain that success, we also delegated our agency along with it. We've created a world where each of us has limitless options and no real choices, and our answer to that is to disengage and stop fully participating in our lives.
As Far as the Eye Can See
Now for the good news: languishing and disengagement aren't necessarily signs of personal failure. They're often consequences of our environment. Think of the last time you felt that you weren't where you should be, and instead of making the effort to change your circumstance, you felt there was no hope. When we languish, we feel a combination of “I need to get out of here” and “meh, not likely,” and too often we then opt not to act.
While it's tempting to blame the rise of the internet and our increasing lack of community, languishing isn't entirely new. In the late 1800s, Émile Durkheim used anomie to describe the sense of disconnection that modern production lines created in industrial laborers. Even Plato identified a similar feeling in akrasia: a strong sense of “I should,” followed by acting against our better judgment and not doing anything.
Languishing isn't limited to North American society either——take Japan's hikikomori movement. The country's economic stagnation in the 1990s, combined with social pressure and mental health challenges, resulted in a modern-day hermit movement. Up to a million Japanese citizens live as recluses, remaining at home while avoiding work and personal connections. Hikikomori is even thought to be growing, not just in Japan, but globally.7
Languishing and Self-Destruction
In response to our loss of agency, we find ways to take control of our lives. But our usual responses tend to cause more harm than help. There are extremes, like the abuse of alcohol or drugs, but also small day-to-day behaviors: bingeing meaningless television shows, neglecting our physical health, eating too much sugar, or failing to make time for quality connections.
Why do we turn to self-destructive choices? Edgar Allen Poe explained our tendency to procrastinate when we know we shouldn't, calling this The Imp of the Perverse:
We have a task before us which must be speedily performed. We know that it will be ruinous to make delay. The most important crisis of our life calls, trumpet-tongued, for immediate energy and action. We glow, we are consumed with eagerness to commence the work, with the anticipation of whose glorious result our whole souls are on fire. It must, it shall be undertaken to-day, and yet we put it off until to-morrow, and why?8
Our self-destructive choices are evidence of how our deep-seated drive for agency manifests itself wherever it can. Sometimes it feels like the only decisions we get to make are bad ones. Take the modern phenomenon of bàofùxìng áoyè, or as it's translated from Chinese, “revenge bedtime procrastination.” Journalist Daphne K. Lee used the term to describe what happens when individuals “who don't have much control over their daytime life refuse to sleep early in order to regain some sense of freedom during late-night hours.”9 If you've ever done something that you know is bad for you just to feel free, you'll understand this.
Suggestions for overcoming bad bedtime habits generally come in the form of establishing rules for better sleep discipline, like avoiding technology before bed. But revenge bedtime procrastinators know the tips and tricks for better sleep and still choose to stay up. As one bedtime procrastinator put it, “It's a way of revolting against all the obligations that you have. Because, well, my life, and I think the life of most adults, consists of lots and lots of obligations.”10 These procrastinators are simply reclaiming freedom via one of the only outlets they have. We don't need a reminder to put down our phone before bedtime. We need space to make choices for ourselves. We need to exercise the basic human need to decide our own destiny. If you relate to the bedtime procrastinator—perhaps to a lesser extreme or in another domain—you're not alone. In our survey, 63% of people agreed they sometimes do things that are bad for them just to feel like they're in control. So, the next time you find yourself scrolling rather than sleeping, realize that part of the reason you're doing so is that you want to feel free to choose (and that maybe there's a healthier way to feel that).
63% of people say they do things that they know are self-destructive to feel a sense of control.
The Decline of Workplace Autonomy
Perhaps nowhere is more prone to languishing than the workplace. It's no coincidence that Émile Durkheim's anomie came at the advent of the industrial revolution. Unless work is designed to combat it, languishing will persist. Case in point, a whopping 77% of workers around the world were disengaged at work in 2022.11
And despite employers' best efforts, workplace disengagement has been increasing for quite some time. The rise of efficiency tools has dramatically reduced autonomy for workers. Managers are given clear scripts for what they can and cannot say to their teams; directors have defined measurement tools like Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to meet on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual basis. No one gets to decide for themselves anymore.
Languishing in our personal lives and feeling disengaged at work come from the same root: lack of freedom and satisfaction. Unfortunately, most pieces of advice on engagement given to managers are, as with our personal lives, aimed at the wrong aspect of the problem. Rather than giving workers more autonomy and a sense of control, we try to fix disengagement by building mission statements or communicating purpose—emphasizing the meaningfulness of the work. Purpose statements are important, but they're not enough. We need agency, and with it, identity, first. Without agency, meaning and purpose have nowhere to root.
Unfortunately, individual autonomy is often viewed as a distraction from more important goals like consistency, efficiency, and productivity, and as such, it is seen as dangerous and unproductive.
Ironically, not only does a lack of autonomy cause disengagement, but organizational outcomes also suffer. Events like the COVID pandemic exposed the vulnerability that anchoring on hyper-efficiency and leanness causes in modern workplaces. When unanticipated events occurred, the companies leading in modern management science were the ones left high and dry. By decreasing autonomy, we've decreased organizations' ability to respond to change and disruption.
Every single one of us has the power to overcome disengagement and reclaim intentionality. However, the forces against us get stronger all the time. These forces express themselves in a myriad of ways, from the proliferation of social media, to pressure from our families, co-workers, and peers. At work, these manifest in the reduction of real choices and the separation of our working selves from our true nature. The effort to resist these forces is getting harder as the distractions and tools of sabotage get stronger, but that...
| Erscheint lt. Verlag | 13.2.2024 |
|---|---|
| Sprache | englisch |
| Themenwelt | Wirtschaft ► Betriebswirtschaft / Management ► Unternehmensführung / Management |
| Schlagworte | Business & Management • Führung • Management f. Führungskräfte • Management / Leadership • pandemic productivity • remote team engagement • remote work engagement • Remote Work Productivity • team engagement • team productivity • Teamwork • Wirtschaft u. Management • Work Engagement • work fulfilment • Workplace Engagement • work productivity |
| ISBN-10 | 1-394-18916-8 / 1394189168 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1-394-18916-8 / 9781394189168 |
| Haben Sie eine Frage zum Produkt? |
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