The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working | Book Review

This review was written by Rishi who received this book free.

A thought-provoking, practical, eye opening book – that’s what I felt after reading The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working: The Four Forgotten Needs That Energize Great Performance” by Tony Schwartz. The book resoundingly dispels the notion that you need to work harder and longer in order to get more done. Instead, the author recommends that for best performance, people work at their current task with high intensity and focus for shorter durations, followed by periodic breaks to relax and renew their energy.

About the Author

The book is written by Tony Schwartz who is the founder and president of The Energy Project. He is also the author/co-author of several other books including, The Power of Full Engagement, What Really Matters: Searching for Wisdom in America, and The Art of the Deal.

About the Book

The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working consists of approximately 296 pages of content and the following chapters:

Chapter 1 – More and More, Less and Less
Chapter 2 – We Can’t Change What We Don’t Notice
Chapter 3 – We’re Creatures of Habit
Chapter 4 – Feeling the Pulse
Chapter 5 – Sleep or Die
Chapter 6 – Making Waves
Chapter 7 – Use It or Lose It
Chapter 8 – Less Is More
Chapter 9 – Creating a Culture That Pulses
Chapter 10 – The War Between the States
Chapter 11 – If You Ain’t Got Pride, you Ain’t Got Nothin’
Chapter 12 – The Facts and the Stories We Tell
Chapter 13 – A New Value Proposition
Chapter 14 – A Poverty of Attention
Chapter 15 – One Thing At a Time
Chapter 16 – Cultivating the Whole Brain
Chapter 17 – Autonomy for Accountability
Chapter 18 – Who Are You, and What Do You Really Want?
Chapter 19 – We’re All in This Together
Chapter 20 – Purpose for Passion

In addition, the book contains “The Big Ideas” lesson at the end which summarizes the key points of each chapter.

The central idea of this book is that human beings are most productive when periods of high focus are interspersed with periods of rest. However, this is not what’s happening at most organizations today. People are putting in long, continuous hours without getting adequate time to relax and renew their energies. Organizations are too focused on trying to get as much out of their employees as possible without realizing that their employees are human beings, not machines. Although technological advances have made instant communication possible and have led to faster decision making, the sense of urgency at most organizations has undermined the creativity of their employees. The relentless focus on improving productivity come has exacted a toll on their employees. Employees are losing their capacity to stay focused, and are less engaged at work and home due to lack of time and energy.

The author recommends that organizations need to realize that their employees are multi-dimensional and have physical, emotional, spiritual, and emotional needs. By addressing these needs, organizations can have more productive and engaged employees which ultimately will have a positive impact on their bottom line. To prove his point, author cites various studies, including a study which showed that companies with the most engaged employees reported a 19% increase in operating earnings and 28% growth in earnings per share, compared to the firms with lowest level of engagement which experienced a 32% drop in operating income and 11% drop in earnings. In addition, at the firms that had the most engaged employees, 90% of the employees indicated that they have no plans to leave.

Some of the major ideas presented in this book include:

1. Productivity should not be identified based on the number of hours we put in at work. Rather, it’s a function of the value we produce during the hours we work.
2. Human beings are not designed to work continuously like machines; they need periodic breaks to renew their energy.
3. Most of us require 7-8 hours of sleep. Most great performers sleep far more hours than the average people.
4. We need to perform some form of physical activity or exercise, 20-45 minutes every day for at least 6 days a week.
5. We should acknowledge our shortcomings instead of just focusing on our strengths. Accepting the complete self helps us to learn and grow in life.
6. Good leaders challenge their people to grow, and regularly recognize and reward their accomplishments.
7. We need to avoid multitasking. Instead, we should focus completely on a single task at a time. In addition, we need to prioritize tasks.
8. To improve creativity, we must set aside time to relax our mind such as through day-dreaming.

What I like about the book?

This is a great, easy to read book, filled with valuable advice on how to improve the quality of our life, and become a more complete and better person. The book emphasizes the need of doing current job with complete focus and intensity, and then taking regular breaks to replenish our energy levels.

What I dislike about the book?

I don’t have much to say in terms of not liking the book. It’s an excellent book and it constantly emphasizes the importance of how to bring more value to your work instead of just focusing on how many hours you put in on the job.

Final Word

Although more of a business management book, this book is valuable for both the business executives as well as regular individuals. The book provides a lot of useful advice on how to increase productivity and improve the quality of our lives at work, home, and other areas.