The Inner Game of Work: Overcoming Mental Obstacles for Maximum Performance (Texere paperback series) (Paperback)

I bought this book primarily because I have a business interest in coaching, and most books that I read made some reference, however fleeting, to Gallwey's work.

Surely, I thought, the guy must have something pretty fundamental to say about the art of coaching. And surely the latest book must have the most up-to-date synthesis of the author's ideas.
Well, if it does, then I am at a total loss to understand what all the fuss is about.

If this book is anything to go by, the whole "inner game" thing amounts to no more than three or four pretty basic ideas:

1. Self 1 and Self 2. According to Gallwey, Self 2 is your "natural" self, who would do brilliantly in life but for being constantly tripped up by Self 1 - your conscious, judgemental, less able self. According to Gallwey we need to put Self 1 to one side and trust in Self 2.

2. The whole Self 1 / Self 2 business is summed up in the "equation":

P (performance) = p (potential - Self 2) - i (interference - Self 1)

3. After stringing this painfully simple notion out for nearly three-quarters of the book, we get to STOP:

Step back
Think
Organise your thoughts, and
Proceed

This, too, is pretty basic, but it is perfectly true that we often let ourselves get so wound up by events that we really need to go through some simple routine such as this to get everything back in perspective. And if 25 pages seems rather a lot to explain such a simple idea, at least's a lot less than the 137 pages devoted to "P=p-i"!

4. The last idea, which Gallway calls "thinking like a CEO", belongs in the same category as "discussing chakra's in the boardroom". The author apparently wants us (the CEOs) to believe that we each metaphorically divide ourself (hereinafter known as "the corporation")into "shares" which we then trade off with our spouse, our children, our parents. our teachers and just about anyone else that wanders through our lives.

Most of us, if I understand the metaphor correctly, have traded our entire corporation away and therefore can have no control over our life until we've re-acquired a substantial part of those shares. Indeed, there's even a sample "CEO Exercise Worksheet" for you to fill in with details like "What is your Mission Statement?", "What is your primary Product?" and ...

No, this is too ridiculous for words. Let's move on.

About the only useful material in the book is in Chapter 9 - Coaching. Although it's a comparatively long chapter (37 pages), and whilst some of the ideas therein are pretty dodgy, it does at least raise various topics that are worth thinking about for anyone engaged in coaching or self-coaching.

My problem, then, is why bother with a book of 226 pages (main text), just to get a few intellectual nudges in the last quarter of the book?
And I can't think of a single good reason.

Far better, in my estimation to go for John Whitmore's "Coaching for Performance", recently re-released in a new edition.

Whitmore's own work as a coach and trainer of coaches is supposedly based on Gallwey's original ideas. But a comparison of these two books suggests that the pupil has long since overtaken the "master".

In the foreward Peter Block proposes this book "helps us define what has become known as a 'learning organisation' ". He argues learning and doing are not separate, just part of the bigger whole and asks "Can we play a satisfying inner game and still meet the requirements of the outer game? "

Gallwey talks about "learning from the inside out, instead of from the outside in" and that this learning is "in every new situation", arguing increasing focus is one of the keys as this reduces self interference and consequently performance improves. He advocates not actively trying 'to fix' something - just become more aware of it. The possibility is suggested that a balance between enjoyment, learning and performance is crucial. The topic itself will dictate where the most leverage should occur.

Raising awareness is a constant theme. This can be in conversation, noting how the questions used direct the responses for awareness, choice or trust. An excellent coaching dialogue is given, citing a situation encountered when Gallwey had to demonstrate coaching with no subject expertise - he plays no musical instrument and has never heard a solo tuba. So the example of how the performance of an orchestra tuba player improved simply by raising awareness is fascinating. In this case study "What did you notice" and "How did you know" proved to be particularly useful questions.

An excellent example of thinking traps is raised in the study of the AT&T organisation. The 'Bell-shaped head' is introduced (Ma Bell being the organisations nickname). Most employees had come to value the security for life the organisation had offered. When the telecommunications monopoly was broken up, a restructuring programme occurred and greater flexibility for performance was needed. As a result many individuals were struggling. Gallwey advocated a lateral thinking approach that perhaps Dr. Edward de Bono might suggest. He cites an example of another organisation where sales targets were not being achieved. As a result the sales targets were suspended. Staff were encouraged purely to notice what happened in client interactions - specifically what worked and what did not. This turning away of attention from the 'problem' produced a significant rise in sales. This reminded me of England rugby coach Sir Clive Woodward and his counterintuitive approach for his team to celebrate when losing, and to review and analyse when winning.

Gallwey offers the concept of 'self 1' - the inner critic and 'self 2' - our innate talented self. He argues self 1 runs in the background and self 2, 'just does things' - its our autopilot. Gallwey's claim is that reducing attention on the interfering self 1 is best achieved by focusing on self 2.

The author argues desire is an essential quality for achieving "mobility" - moving forward. He complains about the poverty of language for alternatives to the word desire. I disagreed, quickly establishing over a dozen strong alternative words. Nonetheless there is no dispute with Gallwey's point that it all begins with desire - "the force that fuels all work".

Gallwey introduces numerous acronyms including ACT, Quest and STOP (a tool for raising self-awareness, to use by anybody, at any time). Initially wondering Is it mandatory in any learning work to have such acronyms, I soon realised these were highly effective, memorable and useful.

The Author argues none of us will ever have all the knowledge or all the answers. He goes on to describe how it's scary to be vulnerable, yet liberating. It also critical to our self growth.

Gallwey suggests the unoriginal concept "You are the CEO of your own amazing corporation" (Canadian Brian Tracey has long proposed similar thinking) - i.e. you decide and evaluate what shareholding you either own or have relinquished, treating this as vital feedback on how you are operating.

Another concept is "transposing", analogous to NLP perceptual positions - the idea of putting yourself into someone else's shoes. Though not novel, it's certainly worth being reminded about.

The author advocates "our level of interest, motivation and choice will all affect our power of focus". . Saying each of these elements will be affected by the prevailing environment. He uses a good work example comparing people who are "brought in" into existing projects, with those who are there from the outset.

Gallway makes an excellent point about resistance to change and that this is often fed from a need to over control situations. Those who are coaching will appreciate the significance of resistance and its relationship to change. For a manager this can manifest as reluctance to delegate to subordinates. Gallwey offers his theory about work and would have us understand a combination of performance, learning and enjoyment would make the ideal definition.

I experienced a particular "wow moment" when Gallwey documents a conversation where he eavesdrops on his own thinking. This is a fascinating piece, where his original self and other 'inner parts' are communicating. I found it a truly moving piece of writing and Gallwey displays a willingness and capability to be vulnerable, just as he had earlier advocated in another profound story about his looming 'failure' at Harvard and the important life lessons it taught him.

In conclusion, while not solely for coaches, the book contains many relevant features and is an excellent read. I found some of it profound as I mentioned earlier. There are numerous exercises and suggested questions to enhance the coaching experience. It doesn't get unduly wrapped up in complex coaching models and there are several 'wow moments'. I was especially impressed by the width and depth of Gallwey's experience, which in a rich background, included tuition at Harvard from Professor B. F, Skinner - "the father of behaviourism.