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 peo ple only from the neck up, connecting high performance primarily with cogni tive capacity. Authors Loehr and Schwartz argue that a successful approach to sustained high performance must consider the person as a whole. Executiv es are, in effect,"corporate athletes." If they are to perform at high leve ls over the long haul, they must train in the systematic, multilevel way th at athletes do. Rooted in two decades of work with world-class athletes, the integrated the ory of performance management addresses the body, the emotions, the mind, a nd the spirit through a model the authors call the performance pyramid. At its foundation is physical well-being. Above that rest emotional health, th en mental acuity, and, finally, a spiritual purpose. Each level profoundly influences the others, and all must be addressed together to avoid compromi sing performance. Rigorous exercise, for instance, can produce a sense of e motional well-being clearing the way for peak mental performance. Rituals t hat promote oscillation-the rhythmic expenditure and recovery of energy-lin k 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 inc rease professional performance and improve the quality of their lives. In a corporate environment that is changing at warp speed, performing consisten tly at high levels is more necessary than ever Companies can't afford to ad dress employees' cognitive capacities while ignoring their physical, emotio nal and spiritual well-being.