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, Personal Development, Self Help

320 pages, Paperback

Published February 16, 2023

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to change their mindset toward embracing adversity and better understand how they can improve it.

Read below my summary of the book:
The book explores those moments when we “click” — when we respond to a situation in a way that creates better outcomes instead of reacting automatically. The author call this "to upshift".

At the core are 3 key elements that enable an upshift:
Mentality – Reframing a threat as a challenge, which changes our physiological response and makes it easier to think clearly under pressure. We can rewire our brain to find opportunities in challenges rather than seeing danger in threats.
Originality – The brain’s imagination, salience, and executive systems working together, allowing us to approach problems from different angles. The more these 3 networks work together the more our brain learns to fire these connection faster, and the more we can think of a variety of approaches from different angles.
Purpose – A deeper drive that builds resilience and shapes not just decisions, but daily actions and mindset.

The book also introduces six archetypes of upshifters:
Challengers – Question the status quo.
Crafters – Patiently refine and improve ideas.
Combiners – Merge ideas from different domains.
Connectors – Build bridges between people and perspectives.
Corroborators – Test and strengthen ideas through evidence.
Conductors – Orchestrate people and systems toward results.


Although the stories in the book are grand, I do believe they serve a real purpose. They show that behind these big moments are people like you and me who were able to upshift. These results are not reserved for a special few — they come from understanding how those few have wired their thinking and responses.

[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