Not Doing: The Art of Turning Struggle into Ease - Softcover

Souza, Steven

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1911498495 ISBN 13: 9781911498490

Publisher: LID Publishing, 2018

Synopsis

Given today's increasing pace of change and the constant, excessive busyness that results, it's not a surprise that so many people are struggling, feeling stretched beyond their limits, overwhelmed, and exhausted, besieged by the demands of complex projects and workplaces. They are engaged in a kind of "doing" that is more effort and struggle than the kind of "doing" that comes from a place of presence, openness, and aliveness. Not only is the latter method of "doing" ineffective and unsustainable, but ultimately leads to stress, anxiety, and burnout.

This book, by the authors of the award-winning Not Knowing: the art of turning uncertainty into opportunity (Best Management Book of the Year), explores the limits and dangers of "doing"; how do they play out in our lives and workplaces; what is driving, or contributing, to our excessive activity; and what would a different kind of "doing" look like, that is less about control and struggle and more about well-being, harmony and creativity.

About this title

From the Author

The idea to write Not Doing came from discussions we had while we were working on our first book, Not Knowing: the art of turning uncertainty into opportunity. In both books we explore the challenges of navigating an increasingly uncertain and complex world, and our ideas and strategies on how to approach those challenges. 

Not Doing outlines the dysfunctions of doing, such as a tendency to control, jump into action, and perfectionism. We wanted to understand how these dysfunctions impact on our work and lives, as well as explore what capabilities we need to foster to be more effective, such as slowing down, making space, refraining from reacting, and letting things emerge. These are counterintuitive capabilities to cultivate in a world where we are rewarded for being decisive, getting things done and solving problems quickly. We hope the book helps bring them into the every day life of anyone who wants to be more successful dealing with the complexities in their world.

About the Author

Steven D'Souza is an associate fellow at Said Business School, University of Oxford, author of Brilliant Networking (Prentice Hall), and co-author of Made in Britain, and Not Knowing (LID Publishing). He is also the director of Deeper Learning Ltd.
Diana Renner is a leadership educator and award-winning author. As the director and co-founder of the Uncharted Leadership Institute, she helps individuals and organizations navigate uncertainty and make progress on complex challenges. Diana is an adjunct lecturer at Monash University and Adelaide University, and an associate with Melbourne Business School in Australia. She was also guest faculty at University of Texas, Austin and Harvard University Kennedy School of Government. Diana's first book, Not Knowing: the art of turning uncertainty into opportunity co-authored with D'Souza, won Chartered Management Institute's 2015 Management Book of the Year Award in the UK, and has been translated in ten languages. Her second book, also with D'Souza, Not Doing: the art of effortless action was published in March 2018.

About this edition

• Publisher: LID Publishing
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1911498495
• ISBN 13: 9781911498490
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224