On Form

Citation

Booth, J. (2003), "On Form", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 24 No. 6, pp. 352-353. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437730310494329

In recent years there has been a plethora of books offering advice on how best to achieve a happy, healthy and stress free lifestyle. Although at first glance this book may seem to be of the same genre, it definitely is not. It has been written around the “corporate athlete training system”, which was originally developed with some of the world’s top athletes, in order to help them perform more effectively. Hence, the overall purpose of this book is to provide the reader with the details of the training system so that they may adopt similar rules and use them in their work and home life.

To become a corporate athlete and hence perform well both at work and home one must first manage energy not time and the energy state required for best performance is full engagement. The first chapter deals with this important fundamental concept. Furthermore, in order to illustrate how the programme can be used, the fictional Roger B, who is initially disengaged, is introduced into the second chapter and is mentioned throughout the rest of the book.

Four principles lie at the heart of the change process which are critical in living a fully engaged life. The first part of the book describes the four principles. First, the need to balance energy expenditure is imperative. Therefore, energy must be renewed as and when is necessary. This is the central message at the heart of Chapter three. If you want to successfully engage you must intermittently disengage. In essence, it is alright, even beneficial to be stressed, as long as you make the time to recover.

Second, full engagement requires us to draw on four separate but related sources of energy: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Chapter four focuses on the first source of energy: physical energy. In order to sustain physical energy one must breathe, eat, sleep and exercise properly. That means not only cardiovascular training but also strength training (short periods of exertion alternated with short periods of rest). The fundamental point being that more work can be accomplished effectively if it is interspersed with periods of rest. In connection with physical energy is emotional energy, which is discussed in chapter five. Without the physical energy emotions cannot be managed and in order to perform at one’s best one must be able to access pleasant and positive emotions.

By Chapter six things have become rather repetitive but by no means uninteresting. Basically, to ensure that good mental energy is sustained and one is able to concentrate properly and effectively, one must maintain physical energy and emotional energy. The fourth source of energy is spiritual energy and this is the force behind physical, emotional and mental energy in described in Chapter seven. This concept is slightly more difficult to grasp than the previous three sources of energy. However, the essentials are that without a certain set of values it is not possible to fully engage in any aspect of life.

The third principle required for full engagement is the need to push past the comfort zone, in order to build capacity, which is analogous to how an elite athlete trains. Finally, the fourth principle states that it is the positive energy rituals that are the solution to full engagement and sustained high performance. The utilization of these last two principles is explained in the preceding chapters.

The training system is described further in the second half of the book. This basically reveals how enduring life changes have to be made in order to build and sustain the multidimensional energy that is needed to perform well in all areas of life while dealing with life’s high demands. This involves a three‐step process: purpose‐truth‐action. First, that the only way to be fully engaged is when someone really cares about what they are doing, in essence, has a purpose. Second, that to face the truths about themselves and hence break free from negative energy a person can create more positive energy and become fully engaged. Third, by building up positive energy rituals an individual will be able to effectively and successfully manage their energy.

The book finishes with an account of Roger B and how after completing the programme he managed to became reengaged. However, this was not without some resistance and the need to constantly revisit the principles and processes of the programme.

On Form is a practical reader‐friendly book with many interesting examples illustrating how the programme has already been used successfully. It is appropriate for anyone who is struggling to fit everything into one day, and presents a clear, concise and realistic guide on how to achieve a stress‐free lifestyle, with maximum performance and total satisfaction. If anyone thinks that they will not have time to read it, then they should definitely read it!