What do you think?
Rate this book
Performance Breakthrough: A Radical Approach to Success at Work
Break through to your peak performance! Whether you're navigating your way on a new team, expanding your leadership role, or just trying to get heard in a meeting, you're facing the kind of workplace challenge we all run into sooner or you need a new performance. In Performance Breakthrough, Cathy Salit presents the revolutionary strategies that she's proven successful through over twenty years' experience custom-creating workshops for powerhouse clients including American Express, Nike, Coca-Cola, and DIRECTV. Artfully blending techniques from theatrical performance with the new science of performative psychology, Salit guides readers through forging new relationships guaranteed to yield greater success and satisfaction. Performance Breakthrough outlines proven techniques, including taking an emotional inventory; crafting new scripts for greater confidence, stronger relationships, and better outcomes; building ensembles; improvising; and listening -- really listening -- including accepting others' criticism and input. No matter what your challenge, Salit's innovative philosophy, case studies, practical exercises, and inspiring advice will help you deliver your own top performance.
232 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 12, 2016
27 people are currently reading
312 people want to read
About the author
Cathy Rose Salit
2 books8 followersCathy Salit began her career as an upstart and risk-taker at the age of 13, when she dropped out of eighth grade and started an alternative school in an abandoned storefront in New York City. This unusual endeavor put Cathy on an uncharted life path, and she has dedicated her life to creating educational environments that challenge the status quo and offer innovative, high-impact learning and development experiences.
She co-founded Performance of a Lifetime (POAL), a consulting firm that helps leaders, teams, and organizations to grow their business by focusing on the human side of strategy. Using the art and science of performance, POAL help leaders close the gap between the current reality and their desired future. POAL's team of coaches and human development experts leverage their proprietary method, The Becoming Principle™, to engage leaders and companies in creating and acting on new and uncharted possibilities. As CEO, Cathy works with leaders and teams at companies such as American Express, Nike, Coca Cola, Rolls Royce, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Cathy is the author of Performance Breakthrough: A Radical Approach to Success at Work (Hachette Books, on sale April 12, 2016), in which she presents her revolutionary approach to learning and growing. She is also an artistic associate at the award-winning Castillo Theatre in New York City, where she performs regularly with the musical improv comedy troupe the Proverbial Loons. Less frequently, she sings jazz and R&B on any stage she can find...or create.
Visit Cathy's website: http://performanceofalifetime.com
Follow Cathy on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CathySalit
She co-founded Performance of a Lifetime (POAL), a consulting firm that helps leaders, teams, and organizations to grow their business by focusing on the human side of strategy. Using the art and science of performance, POAL help leaders close the gap between the current reality and their desired future. POAL's team of coaches and human development experts leverage their proprietary method, The Becoming Principle™, to engage leaders and companies in creating and acting on new and uncharted possibilities. As CEO, Cathy works with leaders and teams at companies such as American Express, Nike, Coca Cola, Rolls Royce, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Cathy is the author of Performance Breakthrough: A Radical Approach to Success at Work (Hachette Books, on sale April 12, 2016), in which she presents her revolutionary approach to learning and growing. She is also an artistic associate at the award-winning Castillo Theatre in New York City, where she performs regularly with the musical improv comedy troupe the Proverbial Loons. Less frequently, she sings jazz and R&B on any stage she can find...or create.
Visit Cathy's website: http://performanceofalifetime.com
Follow Cathy on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CathySalit
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 27, 2016
Entertaining read. Apparently, a little improvisational performing will make you more successful at work, and even at home. My favorite directive suggested by the author is to write a poem, draw a cartoon or make up a song whenever someone says or does anything you think is stupid or problematic. I would never get any work done !!
January 2, 2019
I chose this book for a work book club specifically because I knew it would make people uncomfortable. The suggestions Salit makes in this book will put people off kilter. Which is good. The premise of the book is that in all of our interactions, at work and otherwise, we are engaged in a performance. We improvise, some better than others. We act in different ways depending on our audiences. This is not to say we are inauthentic. It just means we know who we are talking to. Time and place. Some people really struggle with this. I am putting these suggestions into practice. We will see how it goes...
July 23, 2018
Incredibly insightful
Insightful not in that it gives you some secret knowledge, rather it is an invitation to revive our ability to build teams creatively. It is a book that calls into action our performance capacity to transform our lives with other, including in the business world. Loved it!
Insightful not in that it gives you some secret knowledge, rather it is an invitation to revive our ability to build teams creatively. It is a book that calls into action our performance capacity to transform our lives with other, including in the business world. Loved it!
May 20, 2025
The book was ok. I have a degree in theater, so it felt like a college refresher. While I can see how many tactics can be helpful, the book teetered on the edge of being prescriptive drama therapy- something for which the author does not have a certification.
The gist of the book is this- listen to others. Hold yourself with authority. Fake it til you make it.
The gist of the book is this- listen to others. Hold yourself with authority. Fake it til you make it.
July 19, 2019
Brilliant read
Cathy has put together an amazing book filled with practical ideas and approaches to some of our most frightening and human situations, providing clarity and useful tools to deal with them in a most elegant way.
Cathy has put together an amazing book filled with practical ideas and approaches to some of our most frightening and human situations, providing clarity and useful tools to deal with them in a most elegant way.
February 21, 2017
Interesting concept of performing your way to overcoming your challenges and hang-ups but I'm not convinced it works and won't ring as false. Still gave me some things to think about though.
December 1, 2018
This book was amazing. Its a must-read for anyone who's interested in that kind of thing.
October 15, 2016
What I liked most about this book was how it delivered a whole different way for approaching personal development. This genre is too often intellectual, backed occasionally by some practical things to try. This book is all about what to try. The rest will follow. Don't think about the other person's perspective. Put yourself there. Or put yourself with them directly, along with your own open mind. See what you learn and go from there. Many of the techniques in this book are based on improv and acting. They will get you immediately involved in changing relationships and seeing the world differently, in amazing ways.
June 27, 2022
[KunBook Review #62: Performance Breakthrough: A Radical Approach to Success at Work - Cathy Rose Salit]
My Rating: 4.81/5.00
Considering that it is the first book I finished reading in 2022, Performance Breakthrough certainly allowed me to start the new year with a bang. I love how the advice and suggestions throughout the chapters are everlasting and applicable to most young professionals. The author does an exceptional job of not making the book content uninteresting and generic. Besides, the author's personal story at the beginning of the book touched me and enabled me to foresee what type of directions the book would take me.
After finishing Performance Breakthrough, I have applied the book recommendations to my professional working routines. And they have helped me improve my overall performance and competencies in my roles and responsibilities. Due to this, I can say that this book falls into the empirical spectrum rather than its theoretical counterpart.
All in all, Performance Breakthrough is a go-to book that all young professionals should read.
#performancebreakthrough #cathyrosesalit #bookreview #business
My Rating: 4.81/5.00
Considering that it is the first book I finished reading in 2022, Performance Breakthrough certainly allowed me to start the new year with a bang. I love how the advice and suggestions throughout the chapters are everlasting and applicable to most young professionals. The author does an exceptional job of not making the book content uninteresting and generic. Besides, the author's personal story at the beginning of the book touched me and enabled me to foresee what type of directions the book would take me.
After finishing Performance Breakthrough, I have applied the book recommendations to my professional working routines. And they have helped me improve my overall performance and competencies in my roles and responsibilities. Due to this, I can say that this book falls into the empirical spectrum rather than its theoretical counterpart.
All in all, Performance Breakthrough is a go-to book that all young professionals should read.
#performancebreakthrough #cathyrosesalit #bookreview #business
April 10, 2021
Great book, open up a world of possibilities
You can become who you wanna be, you can become somebody else, and yet you can remain authentic. It's not about changing yourself, it's about extending yourself.
You are not a prisoner of who you are or of who you think you are. That, in itself, is extremely empowering.
Cathy gives practical advices to literally extract yourself from this persona you might feel stuck with and give you an opportunity to become a bigger, better, different 'you.' Well, almost... YOU will have to work for it...
I wish I could work days with Cathy to become a better person. Oh, and I can't wait to try improv!
Thanks a lot Cathy! :)
You can become who you wanna be, you can become somebody else, and yet you can remain authentic. It's not about changing yourself, it's about extending yourself.
You are not a prisoner of who you are or of who you think you are. That, in itself, is extremely empowering.
Cathy gives practical advices to literally extract yourself from this persona you might feel stuck with and give you an opportunity to become a bigger, better, different 'you.' Well, almost... YOU will have to work for it...
I wish I could work days with Cathy to become a better person. Oh, and I can't wait to try improv!
Thanks a lot Cathy! :)
July 26, 2016
A great book full of stories about the people that Cathy Salit and her company, Performance of a Lifetime, have helped by applying the principles of Improv to the workplace.
October 17, 2016
Not for me - I got the idea but I just didn't care for the delivery.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews