'[A] creative and original book on resilience through crises' DAVID MILIBAND '[A] fascinating
book is full of insights ... I highly recommend it' KATE RAWORTH AUTHOR OF DOUGHNUT ECONOMICS
From a leading international crisis management expert a breakthrough book about performance
under pressure that will change the way you think about stress When we experience too much
stress we often feel like shutting down and escaping the source: 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.
