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The Winner's Brain: 8 Strategies Great Minds Use to Achieve Success

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What enables some people to succeed in life, while others simply survive? Is our maximum potential predetermined, or do we have the capacity to push beyond what we perceive to be our limitations? The authors of this book say that the workings of the brain make the difference, and that it is possible to train the brain to perform at a higher level. How? By identifying and employing the same strategies as high-achieving individuals use to overcome obstacles and reach their goals.

Perhaps the key message is that `the brain is active and subject to change no matter what you do'. This provides an opportunity: `what sets the owner of a Winner's Brain apart is the desire and the know-how to take charge of the process.' The authors have identified five `BrainPower Tools' commonly used by successful people: seeing opportunities where others don't (`Opportunity Radar'); accurately gauging and being willing to take risks (`Optimal Risk Gauge'); being able to stay focussed on a goal (`Goal Laser'); possessing the energy to take action (`Effort Accelerator'); and being able to accurately assess one's strengths and weaknesses (` Talent Meter').

Of course, we don't all share the same goals, and we will each have different definitions of success. But whatever your goals, it is likely that one or more of the eight strategies listed below will provide the keys to greater achievement. The eight strategies ( `win factors' ) are: self awareness; motivation; focus; emotional balance; memory; resilience; adaptability and brain care. In this book, the authors give examples of how each strategy works and share techniques to enhance brain function. The theory is strengthened by the inclusion of stories such as: London cabbies who have increased the size of their hippocampus by memorising city routes; a teenage chess master whose memory of previous games enabled him to predict where a game was going; and a rock star turned rock climbing instructor turned medical student.

All of this is geared to make you believe that change is possible - if you are seeking it - and if you are prepared to make some changes to achieve it.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

I recently picked up a copy of The Winner's Brain at the bookstore and didn't realize it was so new. I was particularly interested in the approach - combining psychology with neuroscience and putting it in practical terms and accessible language. I wasn't viewing it as a self-help/success book and probably wouldn't have picked it up if I was. I expected to pick up some helpful tips that I could incorporate into my life but was more interested in the science behind it.
The book is so much more than I expected it to be. Unlike other success/self-help style books that provide you with a program and tell you to follow it and all your dreams will come true, this book is organized in such a way that it allows me to cherry-pick. After reading the book and understanding what elements constitute a Winner's Brain, I went back and reviewed the chapters and concerns that I felt applied most to me. Everything is well laid-out and straightforward. It's not filled with rhetoric. There's science behind the program and that makes it all the more compelling. I really like the wide array of individuals whom they interviewed for the book. It speaks to me that they don't define winners as people who achieve monetary or athletic success and it makes you realize how the book back help me ain so many areas of my life.
At the end of the day, the effectiveness of any program depends on your level of commitment and belief. The book pushed all the right buttons for me. It's great. I'd recommend it for anyone who needs a little lift or is even just interested in the brain science like I thought I was.

I'm in two minds about this book. On the one hand I loved it and certainly got my money worth but, on the other I didn't learn anything of practical use that was new. Maybe that's an unfair statement since for years I have been a keen study of these types of books, and I am a demanding reader.

Back to the positive, this book was really well written and very interesting. I thought all the "tools" and "win factors" were very valid and certainly would help someone move towards success (see the table of contents for a summary). There were no Ra-Ra moments, instead there were solid and convincing scientific arguments which were new to me.

This discussion on what functional MRI's (and other studies) show about brain functioning were fascinating and really helped to illustrate and support the points made. They went into the right level of detail, good solid discussions without getting too long. As an example, I already knew that labelling emotions helped to calm myself down but I didn't understand why. The book gives an interesting discussion of a study showing how labelling emotions calmed down the amygdalae while brain areas involved controlling behaviour lit up. To quote "By simply labelling what they were feeling with words, they were better able to control the parts of their brain responsible for overreaction and call upon greater neural resources to help them stay in Emotional Balance'.

The other aspect I liked were the examples of people who demonstrate the "win factors" eg Whoopi Goldberg "the Queen of Resilience". Typically I don't enjoy these types of digressions, but they we un-usually well written and well integrated in this book.

If this is an area that is at all new to you, I would highly recommend this book.

For those of you like me it's still a useful book. It is a great re-cap and maintains interest due to the new discussions regarding brain function. I personally got an unexpected benefit from reading it. I am currently in a very long term project and I have been aware that I've recently lost my way/motivation. While reading this book and revising the "win factors" I realised that I have not been applying what I already knew to that particular project. Since reading this book I've started to apply the strategies and now it's all back on track.

I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy of this book. It immediately grabbed my attention and held on to it. I am not a science-y person, but the book is written so it didn't matter. It's intelligent, yet not written in a high-brow, aren't-we-so-brilliant way. The writers bring wit and vitality to the topic, offering relatable, real-life examples. The book is populated with engaging personalities. The writers offer practical, take-away advice that I was able to apply in my real life, both for work and as an avid athlete. I recommend this book to a wide spectrum of readers--from business executives to teachers, from athletes to parents.

It may seem like common sense to figure out what marks the thinking of successful men and women. But that's not absolutely evident since there are so many books and talks being given on how to create success, whether that be financial, professional, or otherwise. These two authors have here focused on the eight mental and emotional strategies that may not absolutely guarantee but certainly seem to be the "keys" to achievement for those with the spark to begin the process!

The topics are presented with different ideas than most people consider and are backed by neuroscience and biological experiments that literally and repeatedly visualize changes in the brain that accompany creation of something new and unique. This involves laser-like focus, consideration of how much one is willing to risk, a talent meter, an eye and mind for opportunity which arises at just the right moment, and an effort accelerator. How many have become stuck in one of these places and literally paralyzed so that the dream seems deferred forever? This book deals with how to meet such obstacle moments as well.

Other factors include self-awareness of one's optimistic or pessimistic or somewhere in between (like most people) nature, motivation or drive, emotional balance in the midst of whatever challenges arise in the creative process, the ability to be proactive and resilient through it all, a willingness and ability to adapt to the present circumstances, and so much more.

No, the road to success isn't something we can all assume we know; and if the reader wants to be a winner of any size, shape, and form, this is a very useful book to use as a guidepost in that wondrous cycle of evolution that might make you into someone who lives with a winner's brain! Fascinating material, examples and a clearly presented program one would be wise to follow!

I read this book on my flight from Boston to the West Coast. I couldn't put it down! It is fascinating brain science, expertly written, with great strategies that EVERYONE can use to enhance all aspects of your life. I've been a practicing physician now for 10 years, and I can honestly say that this book has changed the way I view the remarkable power of our brains. The strategies presented are not anecdotal or opinion but are clinically proven, evidence-based pearls that are presented in a way for anyone to understand. I loved the interviews with people like BB King, Whoopi Goldberg, the inventor of Whac-a-mole among others. I highly recommend this book!

This book is an easy read and thus quite accessible to a wide audience. It does use a fair amount of terminology when referring to brain structures, but it is worked in well and does not seem excessive. Those structures are clearly illustrated at the beginning.

I think it is a useful book and seems well researched. It doesn't overstate its claims which is something quite common in books like this. I can easily recommend this book, especially to newcomers to the topic. Almost anyone is likely to get some benefit.

This is a fascinating book which discusses how to harness your personal brain power in an effort to lead a more useful and efficient life. The book includes tips, pointers, history and scientific explanations to review why our brains are only operating on half cylinders.

The book reviews relationships between how the brain works, the relationship of the whole to the parts, and has break out text boxes for added information and real-life examples of increasing efficiency with our brains focused and fresh for any task.

The reader will be engaged in the book for the beginning to the end. I was fascinated by the new information in the book. I was being taught about the brain, and was interested to learn more on how to harness my creative side and increase my focus to work "smarter," not harder. I'd recommend this book to anyone.

I was expecting so much more. When I read the review of this book in HBR, I thought it would talk about the real science along with examples of experiments done in the lab. All I got was the garden variety 'you can do it if you put your mind to it' kind of drivel that can only be described as syrupy.

The daily horoscope is probably better and more entertaining.

Before I get to the review, if you haven't read one of my reviews
before, this review is different. I assume there are others who, like
me, only have time to skim the reviews, not read full book reports so I
write reviews as I like to read reviews. I like for straight to the
point reviews, the bad, the good, and the final verdict. Since we all
look for different things in a book, the final verdict may not matter to
you. If you find you think the same as I do, you may want to seek
counseling.

My format is, I highlight two weaknesses about the book, two strengths
then I give my final verdict. Now the review;

Weakness
-Gives a lot of repetative information about the findings of different
studies

-Lacks do able actions that reader can take to accomplish the things the
models in the story did

Strengths
-it was light on the science (so the non-science-y people like me could
understand it), the target audience is the common reader

-It gave strategies, (although sometimes vague) that the reader can use
to acheive the same success as examples in the book

Final Verdict
This book is for common person looking for scientific proof of how a
successful person's brain operates differently. These conclusions are
backed by scientific studies. The strength of this book is that,
although backed by science, the book is driven by real world examples
and solid advice the reader can emulate. This book is not a play by play
plan to achieve but it is a general blueprint and opens the door for
furth discovery if the reader wishes to persue.