Intention: The Surprising Psychology of High Performers

by Mike James Ross, Sekoul Theodor Krastev, Dan Pilat

We're stuck. Stuck to the couch. Stuck scrolling. Stuck at work. Stuck in worn-out paths of habitual action. Stuck in carefully curated lives where we've traded our agency for endless comforts that wrap us in existential ennui.

As our eyes fixate on a constant parade of images meant to engage us, we notice something in the periphery. We see folks who are just like us, except they are actually, deeply happy and fulfilled. They seem to go through life with ease and grace, overcoming obstacles and making amazing things happen for themselves.

Peering closer, we see that these aren't gods or superhumans. They're just people who have chosen to not be stuck and decided to become the main characters in their own lives. Their success is not a birthright bestowed upon a lucky few, but the result of lives lived with intention. And that's what this book is about-a practical guide on infusing purpose into life in a deliberate and evidence-based way.

Through a combination of inspiring stories about unlikely high performers and evidence from the bleeding edge of behavioral science, we present you with a toolkit for learning intention-not as a fluffy concept, but as five very trainable skills.

Genres: Self Help, Business, Psychology, Nonfiction

288 pages, Hardcover

Published February 21, 2024

About the author

Mike James Ross is the former CHRO of Simons, a leading North American retailer, where he helped ~5,000 employees thrive. Prior to Simons, Mike was a consultant at McKinsey, focused on transforming Fortune 100 companies into better workplaces. He then founded a coaching and leadership development firm that worked with global organizations such as Google and Cirque du Soleil. In his past, Mike has also been a finance lawyer, a private equity investor, and ran a peace negotiations project in the Middle East. He splits his time between Québec and Rio de Janeiro with his wife and twin kids.

Reviews

[Jacques Neatby · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone in the coaching space, I'm constantly seeking out resources on performance that will help diverse audiences, only to be left disappointed by most of the books published on this topic. However, Intention pleasantly surprised me. What sets it apart is its refusal to confine 'performance' within narrow parameters, instead offering a broad approach that can resonate with individuals across various pursuits. I also appreciated its exploration of high performance within teams which is an often overlooked aspect in similar literature. Whether you are someone who is languishing in their career, as defined in chapter 1, or someone who simply needs to refocus to achieve their goals more quickly, you can’t go wrong by picking up this book.

[Paul Chaurand · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m from Montreal. I learned about Mike either through my university’s consultancy club or career management services. Mike’s background was impressive, so when his book (in collaboration with Sekoul and Dan) came out, I found it opportunistic to learn from the available knowledge while simultaneously supporting a local author.

Right from the outset, I knew this book would get me, and I think so many people today could relate their feelings of “being stuck” with those described in the introduction of the book. I appreciated how the ideas throughout the book are explained in a concise way without the fluff. The irony is that the book has many great ideas on becoming more intentional, but you have to be intentional by reading the book to obtain these ideas. This book was a great reflection tool, and I have been putting these concepts to work at my job, in my relationships, in exercising more frequently, and in my personal life (in particular bad phone habits). In particular, I found the 60 values exercise to be invaluable (pun not intended). To my surprise, I learned that the value I attribute the most importance to is authenticity! I don’t think this would have been true 5 years ago. Alas, I digress oh so briefly.

This book is an absolute gem. I appreciate that the authors have sidestepped clichéd notions of high performers, offering a narrative that resonates with a diverse audience. The book's clear, jargon-free language and relatable themes invite readers from all walks of life to reconsider the qualities that define high performance.

Bravo Mike, Sekoul, and Dan for crafting a book that stands alongside some of the most revered titles in the personal improvement genre. I've already recommended this insightful read to a close friend to enhance the intentionality in their life, and I recommend the same to everyone reading this review.

[Jackie Tsaur]

This was my first self development book in a long time. I haven’t read the other popular books cited in this (e.g. Atomic Habits) but I imagine this did a good job of summarizing them. I bookmarked some useful excerpts on willpower, languishing and disengagement, value identification, and flow.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main idea of the book is that many people live in "a state of languish" or "blah-ness". Living unengaged and bored by what they do. The argument is that when we live with "intention", that is, with a plan, a purpose, a "why" - we can overcome this feeling.

Why did I read the book and what were my expectations?
I bought this book because I'm a reader of the decision lab and one of the three authors is a co-founder of that platform so I pre-ordered it without thinking too much about it. I had no expectations on specific content but high expectations of the quality because of the decision lab.

I liked the setup, the intent to solve the "living in languish" problem. The book now says there are five ingredients to solve the problem: willpower, curiosity, integrity, attention, and habits. These may or may not be required, I didn't find them convincing at all and have no idea how they got to those instead of so many others one could have chosen from, e.g. bravery, kindness, or any other virtue.

And that's my main problem with the book. The content feels random. There's no continuous train of thought that is binding the 30 chapters together. Each of them can make sense and isn't horrible to read but they don't support the solving the languish problem for me. It feels like many chapters which could be posts on the decision lab.

The most interesting takeaways for me:
- willpower - against common believe - is unlimited and does not deplete the more you use it
- three magnets of motivation: emotional, newness, and goal-drivenness
- group think problem - one needs dedicated "devil's advocates" or dissenters to get to better decisions

It's hard to recommend the book to anybody in particular as the content ranges so widely and isn't focused on one topic.

[Carolina Perez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm finding this book inspiring. As a coach, I'm always looking for ways to talk to my clients and prospective clients about the complexities of human behavior. From this book, I'm getting helpful ideas that I can't wait to share with my clients and potential clients. It's full of science-backed concepts that I can turn into practical advice for the leaders and teams I help. It's entertaining, easy to read, yet deep and authoritative.
I highly recommend it to anyone interested in human behavior.

[Bella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Going in with sober reservation lest it’s all recycled contents from books with similar theme. Maybe so, I wouldn’t know, as I haven’t picked up any other books on a similar theme. I was simply knocked over by the new things there’s to learn in most chapters that I elected to read. What started with less than 10 chapters became a list with more and more chapters scribbled on it to read later. What I most remember from the book is Deci. Below are the chapters I read for my own record: part 1, chps 1, 2,3,4,5, 6,7,8,9, 12, 13, 16,,17 (didn’t like), 18,19,20,22,26,27,28 (didnt like), 29.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Timely book for me at least, but also as a individual reflection on the power of intention to improve greater goals, general happiness, collective duty or else. The writing and structure makes it an easy read yet that does make you think a lot.

[Racer_rajesh · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is nothing special in this book. The concepts presented in the book are good, but there is no real substances to this. Some of the supporting studies are from other books. You will not miss anything as long as you read the last chapter (30)

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting foray into the importance of having goals and planning to achieve them. A wake-up call in a post-Covid world shadowed by lack of purpose, discouragement and letting go.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for the individuals and leaders in search of purpose. Short stories of unsung high performers make this read inspiring and refreshing!

A

[Greg Perowne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring bland business book. Should be no longer than a blog post. Nothing surprising about the psychologies described, you hear it regurgitated with 9 different labels already.

[Eda]

I was particularly impressed by the quality of writing in this book.

[Kiki]

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