Upshift: Turning Pressure into Performance and Crisis into Creativity

by Ben Ramalingam

From a leading international crisis management expert, a breakthrough book about performance under pressure that will change the way you think about stressWhen we experience too much stress, we often feel like shutting down and escaping the we ‘downshift’. With too little stress, we become apathetic and disengaged. But what happens in the middle zone – when we experience what psychologists call ‘positive stress’ – and how can we use it to overcome extraordinary barriers and perform at our peak?From his role as a globally recognised change-maker at the likes of the United Nations, the International Red Cross and the World Bank, Ben Ramalingam has a unique vantage point from which to identify the key principles that can enable anyone to use stress as an opportunity for change. We learn how a switch in mentality helps musicians dazzle huge crowds against all odds; how astronauts focus on originality to overcome life-threatening incidents; and how discovering a sense of purpose allows emergency health workers and aid experts to deal with unprecedented crises.Through a sweep of fascinating interviews, in-depth research and inspiring human stories, Upshift provides us with an everyday toolkit that can help to improve our work, relationships and mindset, and places us on the road to success. Taking readers on an epic journey from early humans’ survival of the Ice Age to how modern social movements emerge and propagate in the digital world, Upshift is a reminder that creative solutions to complex problems will always exist – as long as we’re ready to innovate.

Genres: Leadership, Nonfiction, Self Help

320 pages, Paperback

Published February 16, 2023

Reviews

[Ella · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the worst self-help book I’ve ever read with overarching lavish examples filling out pages when all of the actual information about the upshifting method could have fit into one essay. The examples are all about extravagant world leaders or changemakers, who have nothing to do with us regular people, it’s impossible to relate to them or their stories.

[Angie Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book helped change my mindset in stressful situations (is this a challenge or a threat?) and revealed a lot of the mindsets and circumstances behind enormous moments and figures in history. I’m glad I received it as a gift from my fiancé!

[Sunil Rajasekar · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise was fascinating but I found the insights and learnings pretty light.

[Snæfríður Guðmundsdóttir Aspelund · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I really liked the storytelling approach which made the book and its message much more understandable and relatable to readers