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Your Brain at Work [Kindle Edition]

David Rock
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (119 customer reviews)

Print List Price: $27.99
Kindle Price: $13.59 includes free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet
You Save: $14.40 (51%)
Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers

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Book Description

In Your Brain at Work, David Rock takes readers inside the heads—literally—of a modern two-career couple as they mentally process their workday to reveal how we can better organize, prioritize, remember, and process our daily lives. Rock, the author of Quiet Leadership and Personal Best, shows how it’s possible for this couple, and thus the reader, not only to survive in today’s overwhelming work environment but succeed in it—and still feel energized and accomplished at the end of the day.



Editorial Reviews

Review

“This is the best, the most helpful, and the brainiest book I’ve read on how the brain affects how, why and what we do and act.”

Review

“Simply put, this intriguing book offers fascinating research about the brain’s functions, limitations and capacities, and it teaches us how we can “direct” our own brain chemistry in order to achieve fulfillment and success. Well worth reading and ingesting these skills.” (Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People )

“This is the best, the most helpful, and the brainiest book I’ve read on how the brain affects how, why and what we do and act.” (Warren Bennis, Distinguished Professor of Business and University Professor, University of Southern California and author of On Becoming a Leader )

“This book will improve how you work—by showing you how your brain works!” (Marshall Goldsmith, author of What Got You Here Won't Get You There )

“Rock makes the science of your mind accessible and relevant.” (Daniel Akst, Fortune Small Business )

“Rock deserves an ovation for his writing and direction.” (Fort Worth Star-Telegram )

“Rock makes the science of your mind accessible and relevant.” (Fortune Small Business )

“…highly informative look at the way our minds work at work.” (St. Paul Pioneer Press )

Product Details

  • File Size: 678 KB
  • Print Length: 308 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0061771295
  • Publisher: HarperCollins e-books (October 6, 2009)
  • Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B002Q1YE3K
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • X-Ray: Enabled
  • Lending: Not Enabled
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,631 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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Customer Reviews

This book is very easy to read and understand. Rita  |  33 reviewers made a similar statement
I’ve become fascinated with the way human brains work. Andre Alforque  |  17 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
174 of 180 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Thumbs up from a neuropsychologist November 15, 2009
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
David Rock and I share a similar view: People become more open to changing the behaviors which hold them back when they can understand the brain science behind it all. If you teach a man to do a task, he'll complete the task; if you teach him how his brain is wired, and how to optimize and build it, he'll be one of the most successful (and well-adjusted) people you've ever met.

In "Your Brain at Work" David speaks clearly and meaningfully -- with humor and relevance to everyday life -- about why it is our brains work better under some circumstances than others. He's frank about the limitations of our cognitive abilities -- even the brightest among us -- explaining the "why" and "how" of the limits, and, most importantly, "how to make it better" without frazzling yourself with multitasking, split attention, and other inefficient ways of trying to do your work.

He manages to do this with warmth and humor, all the while bringing the reader inside the findings of some of the top researchers in neuroscience.

I'm a neuropsychologist by training, and now do psychotherapy with high-functioning, successful people who complain about feeling depleted, overwhelmed, out of balance, and burned out. I'm grateful to have this book to supplement our work on the brain-based issues that create the perpetual sense of swimming upstream.
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92 of 94 people found the following review helpful
By Ivan
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Your Brain at Work does an excellent job synthesizing a large body of scientific research on cognitive neuroscience and interpreting the results in a way that helps readers understand how the brain works and how to make it function more efficiently.

The book is laid out in a format of a theatrical play, where it introduces two ordinary people and follows their respective days. Both of the characters are facing a variety of challenges, very similar to the ones that millions of professionals deal with on a daily basis. After presenting a particular scenario and having one of the characters go through it, the author then performs a thorough analysis of what each of the characters did wrong and how they could have approached a particular challenge or activity in a much more efficient way. The best part is, obviously, that the analysis and the corrections in the behavior are all based on the most recent research in cognitive neuroscience.

The narrative is broken into different "acts" according to the progression of the work day of the characters and the type of mental processes that are being discussed. I think this is a particularly good structure because it a)personifies the cognitive challenges by bringing up prototypical characters that most of us can relate to b)organizes the context in a way that is logically progressive and easy to follow and c)makes the book easy for later reference.

As far as the content, to use the book's own language, a big dopamine rush is how I would describe it. It is really full of a good and useful insight, at the same time boasting a high level of writing that uses plenty of metaphors and is very easy to read (took me 5 days of reading before bed to finish).
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63 of 65 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Get this book July 8, 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
THE "GUTS" OF THIS BOOK

This is one of the most practical `neuro' books on the market at the moment. It is aimed at the `lay-person' rather than the `neuro -enthusiast'. The focus of the book is based on Rock's belief that ....'by understanding your brain, you increase your capacity to change your brain.' As a `neuro-enthusiast and translator' I agree with him completely, and so do neuro-specialists such as Dan Seigel. However, it might be more accurate in the case of this book to say `by understanding your mind, you increase your capacity to change your brain'. This book is about more than the physiology and processing power of the brain. Many of these practical tips have been tried and tested for years but we now have evidence to show why they work. Rock clearly outlines these for us.

WRITING STYLE

David Rock uses three parallel techniques to involve us. These run throughout the book:

* A story - The story of Emily and Paul allow us to identify with their thinking at work.
* A metaphor - The use of a stage and actors enable us to easily understand the roles of various parts of our thinking
* A reference to research and the physical brain - Research data that underpins the book. Mercifully he avoids using large numbers of neuro- jargon. He focuses on the role of the pre-frontal Cortex (the director) and the way in which we use our `director' in dealing with chemical responses. He introduces us to three positive chemicals; dopamine (feel good), nor-adrenaline (excitement) and oxytocin (collaboration).

The combination of all three of these works because it draws people with different thinking preferences into the content.
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21 of 23 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Succeeds in Form as Well as Function November 18, 2009
Format:Hardcover
What I like most about David Rock's books is the experience my brain and mind and "dopamine" center have when I read whatever he writes. The bump to my dopamine from this present book is the format of following a story of a couple who are leading and living overly busy and harried lives (sound like anyone you know?), followed by a deep dive into their brains and minds to tell you what those inner areas are going through, followed by lessons and applications that I can use to help me be more mindful, in control and more effective in my life.

This book has just enough research to pass my credibility radar with flying colors, great practical application to use immediately and a great story to identify with.

It's a triple treat.

Mark Goulston
author of Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone
syndicated Tribune columnist
blogger for Huffington Post, Fast Company, Psychology Today and Minyanville
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reading
I graduated in psychology, but have been working as a public speaker for 30 years, have a quite private library specially about Brain, this one, "Your Brain at Work" is... Read more
Published 1 day ago by Joao Carlos Reinaux Cordeiro
4.0 out of 5 stars not finished reading
great service. not nuts about Kindle.
book is written in a little different method that is a little difficult for me to follow.
Published 8 days ago by bbwyo
5.0 out of 5 stars Uncovers the black magic
Many of the suggestions in Rock's book may not be new to us: we may have been told them by a mentor or discovered them through trial and error. Read more
Published 9 days ago by MDL
5.0 out of 5 stars a real thinker
Changed my way of thinking abut thinking quite a bit. It's actually common sense if you think about it, but without this book you probably never will think about it.
Published 15 days ago by LilSherpa
5.0 out of 5 stars YBAW - great book
This is an excellent book - but be prepared to focus on it, as its concepts will require a lot of your prefrontal cortex.
Published 18 days ago by Kenneth A. Tinnell
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, lot of examples
Not as boring as other books of that subject. Really liked it a lot. Would highly recommand it to anyone.
Published 21 days ago by Mel
5.0 out of 5 stars A lot of good knowledge, made practical
I work as a trainer, consultant and therapist, and really like the way that David Rock takes complex knowledge and makes it practical and available :-)
Published 1 month ago by Steen Rassing
3.0 out of 5 stars Not as Useful
David Rock knows his stuff and it comes through. Moreover, he is very good at explaining his neuroscience in layman's terms, broadening its appeal, it seems. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Paul Anthony
5.0 out of 5 stars How the Brain Works, and What You Should Do With This Knowledge
I’ve become fascinated with the way human brains work. My reading began with On Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins, and continued with many others like Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Andre Alforque
4.0 out of 5 stars Good book in order to understand your braing
It is interesting that sometimes we struggle with our activities and do not understand the reason of our own behaviour, it is important to define our feelings and find ourself.
Published 1 month ago by Lex Luthor
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More About the Author

I have been interested in 'what makes us tick' since as early as I can remember, and my personal interest in brain research has been there since my teens.

In 2004 I found that brain research provided a missing piece in our understanding of how to be more effective leaders, managers or coaches. I have now written three books based on what I have been learning, including Quiet Leadership, the text book Coaching with the Brain in Mind, and Your Brain at Work.

I coined the term 'NeuroLeadership' in 2007, and am now closely involved with running a global Institute that is involved in research and education around how to improve organizations through the use of neuroscience. Learn more on that at www.neuroleadership.org I also run a consulting and training organization at NeuroLeadership.com

I maintain an active personal blog at www.davidrock.net, as well as posting regularly on psychology today, on a blog called 'Your Brain at Work'.

I live between Sydney Australia and New York City, and have a wonderful wife and two beautiful young daughters.

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