Customer Reviews

The Inner Game of Work: Focus, Learning, Pleasure, and Mobility in the Workplace

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Is your job boring or stressful? The author shows you how to overcome the obstacles and make it challenging and managable. By making your job into a game, you can let yourself enjoy your job more. Does that sound refreshing or what?

If you have had a bad manager... or if you want to be a good one... this book will encouage you toward motivating yourself and others in a way that will actually work.

The book's genius is in its observation about human beings, their work, and their motivational patterns. Through paying closer attention to the internal state of the worker and to the details of the job, the author brings the work into sharper focus. He advocates that workers also choose to notice details about their jobs; in this greater level of awareness, they can make better choices about the work... and can get past layers of defensiveness or fear in order to do better (more enjoyable!) work.

Not every chapter will speak to you, and not every concept will be just what you need. But I would bet money that somewhere in this book you will find a gem of insight into yourself or others you work with... and if you follow that insight, it will be worth the price of the book.

This book helped me sort out the logic behind my "good days" and "bad days" so I could make more of my days good. I sometimes struggle with being content with my job, and this book is giving me tools to use to enjoy my job more!

PS - I'm not the only one who thought this book was worthwhile. Go to the other edition of the book for more reviews.

I read the Inner Game of Tennis in the 70s, found it revolutionary and find myself dipping into it every few years. I picked up the Inner Game of Work with great expectations, particularly after seeing Peter Senge's endorsement as The Fifth Discipline is a great book. However, I am disappointed. The writing style is turgid, the arguments not as tight as the Inner Game of Tennis and overall, the effort to transpose Inner Game concepts to the world of work don't quite come off. Perhaps tighter editing would have made for a more cohesive work?

I think this book can be extremely helpful for many people. It should be an aid to a less stressful working life with greater satisfaction and better work results at least in the long run. The ideas are very clearly presented with examples so chances are good that the readers will understand the potential benefits of so called self 2 thinking (as opposed the self 1 judgemental thinking). Self 2 is the natural, intuitive, and non-judgmental part of ourselves that contribute to a genuine interest in our work and not only interest in performance objectives. Another concept discussed is mobility, i.e. the ability to change and improve working life through deliberate choices.

A problem is that working life is not as well-defined as e.g. tennis or golf (topics previously addressed by the same author). There is presumably an extremly wide spectrum of work-related problems and the book focus only on limited aspects of those. Nevertheless, it would be inconceivable to write a book tha could help everyone and I think this one will be of great help in particular for readers that are too easily intimidated and are in general overly concerned with what others think about them.

I enjoyed Tim Gallwey's Inner Game of Work. It was great to see him apply his principles in general rather than the specific modalities of tennis and music which I had found valuable in his previous works. For those who have read his previous work he has continued to create new subtle distinctions and expand his models to make it a worthwhile read.For the new reader you are in for a great surprise to be exposed to his understanding and insight.

The Inner Game of Work was the first book I read in my training to become a Parent and Life Coach. It was clear and direct in how a coach is effective in their work. Even though I do not work in the business arena, I still find this book to very applicable for me as I work with families. The learning on the inner-critic has become a regular tool in my family coach practice. I recommend this book to anyone entering the field of coaching or someone who wants to change their work environment. I can see how managers of any kind will benefit from the information in this book. Kellie Ann, [...]

good theory of how people work when they are effective. accompanied with useful practical advices

W. Timothy Gallwey (Tim)has hit served another Ace! This book is a reference to be kept close! I am on my third read, although my first purchase was the day it hit the book stores. I buy it in quantity and send it as gifts to new friends.

John Kirk

This is a descent book including a lot of good advice on how to improve your performance and success within a business and corporate environment. The advice flows naturally from the author's foundation established with his first book `The Inner Game of Tennis.' However, the themes and methods are not too repetitive. The book reads very well and easily.