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

by W. Timothy Gallwey (Author) "The essence of all that I've learned through my exploration of the Inner Game can be boiled down to one sentence: I have found a..." (more)
Key Phrases: performance momentum, inner game, nonjudgmental awareness, Professor Skinner, United States, Area of Research (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Tim Gallwey is one of the great teachers of our time.  His aspiration is the realization of genuine potential, not miracles, but the gap between that potential and our current performance is often so great that the results are nothing short of miraculous. In this day, when many talk of accelerating learning in organizations but few have actually done it, the words of a master are timely indeed."

--Peter M. Senge, author of The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization


From the Hardcover edition. -- Review

Review
"Tim Gallwey is one of the great teachers of our time.  His aspiration is the realization of genuine potential, not miracles, but the gap between that potential and our current performance is often so great that the results are nothing short of miraculous. In this day, when many talk of accelerating learning in organizations but few have actually done it, the words of a master are timely indeed."

--Peter M. Senge, author of The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization


From the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks (September 11, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375758178
• ISBN-13: 978-0375758171
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #97,896 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Observe your job and you will benefit!, October 11, 2002

By	Rachel Conner (Colorado Springs, CO United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not in the same league as the Inner Game of Tennis, September 10, 2006

By	Crunch Solutions (New York, NY USA) - See all my 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?

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great ideas for a better working life!, January 19, 2007

By	B. Stromberg - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.