The Making of a Corporate Athlete

Management theorists have long sought to identify precisely what makes some people flourish under pressure and others fold. But they have come up with only partial an­swers: rich material rewards, the right cul­ture, management by objectives. The prob­lem with most approaches is that they deal with people only from the neck up, con­necting high performance primarily with cognitive capacity. Authors Loehr and Schwartz argue that a successful approach to sustained high performance must con­sider the person as a whole. Executives are, in effect, "corporate athletes." If they are to perform at high levels over the long haul, they must train in the systematic, multilevel way that athletes do. Rooted in two decades of work with world-class athletes, the integrated theory of performance management addresses the body, the emotions, the mind, and the spirit through a model the authors call the per­formance pyramid. At its foundation is phys­ical well-being. Above that rest emotional health, then mental acuity, and, finally, a spiritual purpose. Each level profoundly influences the others, and all must be ad­dressed together to avoid compromising performance. Rigorous exercise, for in­stance, can produce a sense of emotional well-being, clearing the way for peak mental performance. Rituals that promote oscilla­tion - the rhythmic expenditure and recov­ery of energy - link the levels of the pyramid and lead to the ideal performance state. The authors offer case studies of execu­tives who have used the model to increase professional performance and improve the quality of their lives. In a corporate envi­ronment that is changing at warp speed, performing consistently at high levels is more necessary than ever. Companies can't afford to address employees' cognitive ca­pacities while ignoring their physical, emo­tional, and spiritual well-being.

• Psychology
• Emotional intelligence
• Wellness
• Mental health
• Developing employees