Shifting mindsets at work
'The Performance Curve: Maximise your potential at work while strengthening your well-being' by Laura Watkins and Vanessa Dietzel (Bloomsbury Business), reviewed by Emily Hutchinson.
07 February 2022
This book shows how an understanding of neuroscience can improve both our wellbeing at work and our performance. It outlines how our mindsets, emotions and habits influence our behaviour, and how increasing awareness of this and asking some key questions can help us get better outcomes. For example, asking, 'what if this situation were not happening to me, but for me – what could I learn or gain?' can help us shift from a victim mindset and lead to more positive action.
I found the later chapters more engaging than the earlier ones, but that probably reflects my interest in practice over theory! The ideas presented are sound and there are some simple nuggets here about ways we can shift our own performance and others' performance. It would be an interesting book for leaders who perhaps have an existing curiosity about psychology to gain some insights and key questions to ask in their organisations.
- Reviewed by Emily Hutchinson, Associate Editor (books), Director Apply Psychology