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Optimal
Book

Optimal

How to Sustain Personal and Organizational Excellence Every Day

Daniel Goleman and Cary Cherniss
HarperBusiness, 2024

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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Applicable
  • Engaging
  • Inspiring

Recommendation

In the pursuit of high performance, you probably pursue “flow” — the elusive state of peak performance that results from intense focus and immersion in a task. But according to psychologists Daniel Goleman and Cary Cherniss, you’d be better off seeking an “optimal state” — a zone of productivity and engagement that’s more consistently accessible than a flow state. Goleman and Cherniss make a compelling case for strengthening emotional intelligence as the key to achieving and maintaining an optimal state, and, in turn, boosting individual and organizational performance.

Take-Aways

  • You can’t experience a “flow state” all the time, but you can aim for an “optimal state.”
  • To achieve an optimal state, you need to exercise emotional intelligence (EI).
  • Self-awareness serves as the fundamental capability for reaching and sustaining an optimal state.

About the Authors

Psychologist and science journalist Daniel Goleman is the author of 13 books on psychology and leadership, including the seminal Emotional Intelligence. Cary Cherniss is Emeritus Professor of Applied Psychology at Rutgers University and an author and consultant. Both serve as co-chairs of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations.

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