1st Edition

Excellence through Mind-Brain Development The Secrets of World-Class Performers

By Harald S. Harung, Frederick Travis Copyright 2016
    232 Pages
    by Routledge

    232 Pages
    by Routledge

    Everyone seeks to attain excellence and happiness in their lives, yet world-class performance is rare. Research shows that education accounts for only 1 per cent of performance levels, work experience only 3 per cent, and age in adults 0 per cent. Dr Harald S. Harung and Dr Frederick Travis looked deeply and unearthed the secret of world-class performance: Excellence in any profession or activity depends on the single variable of high mind-brain development. By mind-brain development, the authors refer to a much more comprehensive transformation than what is commonly understood - they are talking about a sequence of fundamental shifts to new realities in the way our brain functions and in the way we look upon ourselves, others, and the world. For success, who we are is far more important than the knowledge, skills, and relationships we have and what we do - because with higher mind-brain development, our knowledge and skills become more useful, our relationships more enriching, and our actions more effective. As part of presenting the secrets of world-class performance, the book details the inspiring peak experiences that underlie top performance and how top performers have a more orderly, restfully alert, and economic brain than average performers. This research-based book will show you the many benefits of higher mind-brain development and how to effortlessly attain it.

    1. Introduction: A Vision of Possibilities through Higher Human Development  2.First Performance Dimension: Enhancing Brain Functioning: Objective Foundation of World-class Performance  3. Second Performance Dimension: Better Psychology: Getting to Effective Performance  4. Third Performance Dimension: Lasting Peak Experiences: Gateway to Lasting Excellence  5. Fourth Performance Dimension: Higher Organizational and Societal Development: Getting to Shared Excellence  6. The Performeasure® Assessment: Revealing the Secret of World-class Performance  7. How to Achieve Excellence: Transform the Performer to Transform Performance  8. Conclusion: Can Widespread Excellence Be Achieved?  Appendix 1.Definition of Important Terms  Appendix 2.The Biochemistry of World-class Performance  Appendix 3.Names of World-class Performers  References



    Biography

    Dr Harald S. Harung is a high performer in lecturing, research and the sport of orienteering. He teaches management, ethics, and world-class performance to classes of up to 500 students at Oslo Metropolitan University. For more than 30 years, he has been working as a researcher and consultant within human performance development, both on the individual and organizational level. Dr Harung has lectured worldwide. Dr Frederick Travis has been Director of the Center for Brain, Consciousness, and Cognition at Maharishi University of Management for 25 years. His work has focused on brain development from birth to adulthood and effects of meditation experiences on the brain. He teaches on the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels and has lectured globally on brain and consciousness. With Dr Harung, he has researched the brain patterns of successful people, which forms a pillar of understanding excellence.

    ’In this interesting book Harung and Travis have managed to convey their message in a readable way so that also a layman can understand it. Personally, I liked the simple and concrete results they present of their research on world-class performers and higher mind-brain development.’ Ingrid Kristiansen, only track runner who held world records for 5000m, 10000m, half-marathon, and marathon at the same time ’Harung and Travis introduce a compelling aspect of world-class performance in leaders - higher mind-brain development. They do so in a manner that busy senior executives can understand and apply. This book is essential reading for leaders wishing to ensure comprehensive and sustainable world-class excellence in themselves and their organisations.’ Lynne Sedgmore CBE, Chief Executive of 157 Group of UK colleges and former CEO of the UK Centre for Excellence in Leadership ’In this book, Harung and Travis offer a lucid, research-based, very readable, and convincing advocacy for mind-brain development as a discriminator between ordinary and world-class performance in several fields from athletics to management. This is a book for laypersons as well as professionals. I particularly liked the simple and concise definitions of terms and ideas and the vivid examples to illustrate the abstract concepts.’ Susanne R. Cook-Greuter, acknowledged researcher in higher self-development, USA ’The inner realm of man is highly structured and open to scientific exploration. In the investigations of this book, peak experiences are recognized as essential for peak performance. Transcendental Meditation, practiced by the author of this endorsement for 55 years, is a scientific technique to systematically produce peak experiences. Practiced regularly, this technique can make peaks become ordinary. The result is a state of consciousness in which effortless high performance and joy is a daily experience even during the most mundane and trivial chores of day-to-day living