But most leaders don’t get it right. They go too fast or too slow. They act like sprinters when they should be acting like endurance athletes. Companies that cannot grow with the right pace struggle with boom-splat cycles of growth, lack of innovation, stagnation and disengaged employees. So how can leaders go at the right speed? Growth expert Dr. Alison Eyring, who is also a long-distance runner
and triathlete, found the answer in endurance training. It’s a concept she calls Intelligent Restraint. Eyring gets leaders started by showing them how to measure and increase their company’s and teams’ capacity for growth, build the right growth capabilities, and use the right pacing strategies – in the same way that athletes prepare for endurance races. To get results without harming the business or employees, Eyring offers three rules of Intelligent Restraint, some of them a little heretical. For example, she insists that focus is more important than vision, because ultimately it’s perspiration, not aspiration, that gets you across the finish line. By practicing Intelligent Restraint, you’re guaranteed to go the distance over and over again. Eyring masterfully weaves together physiological and psychological research, in-depth business case studies, examples from real leaders, and practical tools with her own narrative of endurance training. The result for readers is a new mindset and set of practices for growth that is second to none. Alison Eyring PhD is the founder and CEO of Organisation Solutions. For over twenty-five years, Alison has worked with executives in leading global multinational companies, helping them to solve the people and organization problems of growth. She has worked closely with senior executives in companies such as American Express, Allergan, Disney, De Beers, Four Seasons, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, and Shell. She also serves as an adjunct associate professor at the National University of Singapore. Contents
Foreword by Marshall Goldsmith
Part 1: The Principles of Intelligent Restraint
1: When Restraint is Intelligent
2: Principle One: Capacity Determines How Far and Fast You Can Go
3: Principle Two: The Right Capabilities Increase Capacity
4: Principle Three: The Right Pace Wins the Race
Part 2: The Rules of Intelligent Restraint
5: Rule #1: Focus Overrules Vision
6: Rule #2: Routines Beat Strengths
7: Rule #3: Exert, Then Recover
Part 3: Put Intelligent Restraint to Work
Chapter 8: Scale to Grow
Chapter 9: Lead with Intelligent Restraint
Appendix: PACER for Self-Renewal