The Peak Performing Professor: A Practical Guide to Productivity and Happiness

by Susan Robison

Drawing on research from the fields of neuroscience, faculty development, work productivity, positive psychology, and resilience, The Peak Performing Professor is filled with techniques, strategies, and practical tools for managing the complexities of academic life while maximizing professional potential. This much-needed resource reveals the four skill sets (PACE) that enhance peak performance and shows faculty step-by-step how To help develop these essential skills, the book contains exercises that can help faculty hone their abilities to anchor their work, roles, and use of time in their most deeply held values; to integrate their personal and professional lives into a seamless whole; to experience more work-life balance; and, ultimately, to create a legacy of a life well-lived. Administrators will also find the book a useful tool for guiding their faculty to produce, stay engaged, and experience job satisfaction. "The first time I saw Susan present her Pyramid of Power model, I knew I needed to learn more. This book provides both the ideas and the practical advice that can help faculty and faculty developers make our lives more effective and more livable." — L. Dee Fink , author of Creating Significant Learning Experiences "An amazing book—essential reading for every faculty member. The integration of sound scholarship and practical advice is extraordinary. This book will power faculty workshops and faculty lives!" — Barbara Walvoord , professor emerita, University of Notre Dame; author of Effective Grading

Genres: Academia, Productivity, Professional Development, Self Help, Nonfiction, Education, Academic

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Jeanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Susan Robison hopes that her readers of The Peak-Performing Professor "…will do productive great work [as a result of reading of The Peak-Performing Professor] while they live happy and balanced lives and that [they] will become positive influences for more balanced institutional cultures" (p. 275).

This is a grand vision. Robison centers her book around developing a mission and vision for their career, a strong personal and professional support system, being well and having a sense of wellbeing. On the way she discusses making good choices for spending time, time management, organizational strategies, etc.

There's a lot here, organized in hundreds of bullets. I love bullets, but The Peak-Performing Professor may break me from their overuse. Her goal is to lay out all the options, even though they might not be appropriate for any given person.

I am not early in my career, where Robison's advice might be especially welcome and needed. Maybe if I were, I would have had a more positive reaction to her book. It didn't help that she confused happiness (a temporary emotion) with wellbeing (a longer evaluation of how life is playing out, generally defined as happiness or positive affect, low negative affect, and life satisfaction, plus elements like meaning in life and maybe ability to pursue goals).

I read this with the book club sponsored by our center for faculty development.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a helpful read. It pulls together from a lot of different fields, and has some good, focused exercises to help you find some focus, strategies, and ways to think about structuring your time. Also, I’m going to use the section on collaboration as a reading for group projects.

[Jocelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is full of good advice and helpful exercises about goals, priorities, strategies, people skills, etc. It covers just about every facet of your academic career. I did have a little problem with the tone. Much of the advice is couched in the imperative. I had to check myself from concluding that if I just obeyed the many instructions and internalized the perspective, I could guarantee peak productivity and happiness. I'm just not sure that kind of relentless effort to control outcomes is healthy, or even worth it.

[Kerynnisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have what I feel is pretty severe executive dysfunction that interrupts my work and career progression. Academia is both and simultaneously good and bad for my kind of brain, because it forces me to get creative in the midst of chaos. Long term, however, requires more strategic and intentional action - the kind I find challenging, if not impossible.

That’s the beauty of this book . It gave me the whys and hows of planning and execution of doing great work while also living a good life. It pairs research-backed reasoning with tools and skills to become a peak performing professor. I especially love the pyramid of power, and the weekly and daily tracking tools which have allowed me in a few short days to accomplish what I have not been able to do for many months and years.

So yes, this is a great book that I would recommend to fellow academics looking to excel in their careers and their personal lives.

[Valorie Zonnefeld · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good for goal setting. I wish I would have read this practical book when I started the professorate.

[Monique · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an Associate Dean at a community college, I’m always looking for ideas to encourage faculty members and help them succeed in the classroom. This book was perfect! There were usable ideas on how to make ease new faculty members into full-time positions. Robinson uses research to prove that PACE can and will ”enhance peak performance and shows faculty step-by-step how”. PACE stands for:

• Power their work and lives with purpose and meaning.
• Align all of their activities with that purpose.
• Connect with mutually helpful colleagues and intimates.
• Energize themselves to thrive in this interesting and engaging career.
The exercises are eye-opening and will not only enhance your performance but insure you will have less stress and fun while teaching. Being an award winning faculty member is more than thought provoking lectures and multiple essays to grade…its inspiring students to learn outside the classroom, earn the grades they deserve and complete college in a timely fashion. A productive faculty member is engaged, fulfilled and excited to learn new ways to improve student learning. Hands down this book should be given to every college professor teaching today!

[ck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't Let the Title Dissuade You

Despite the word "professor" in its title, this book contains many useful nuggets for anyone who works in education. It also is well-suited for students in credential programs who are thirsty for practical personal strategies to round out what they're learning about learning theories, pedagogy, classroom management, and effective interaction with students, colleagues, and the larger community.

Those who are mid-career may find that they already tap into some of the philosophy and strategy Robison mentions, but the structure of this book is such that it can boost effectiveness and brighten perspective in a way that is efficient for the reading-deluged, time-starved professional. Although you can read from beginning to end, it also is possible to dip into specific sections as needed before looping back and reading the entire book. Have some page flags ready.

I received a review copy from the Amazon Vine program.