Primed to Perform

The revolutionary book that teaches you how to use the cutting edge of human psychology to build high performing workplace cultures. Too often, great cultures feel like magic. While most leaders believe culture is critical to success, few know how to build one, or sustain it over time. What if you knew the science behind the magic-a science so predictive and powerful that you could transform your organization? What if you could use cutting edge psychology to unlock people's innate desire to innovate, experiment, and adapt? In Primed to Perform, Neel Doshi and Lindsay McGregor show you how to do just that. The result: higher sales, more loyal customers, and more passionate employees. Primed to Perform explains the counter-intuitive science behind great cultures, building on over a century of academic thinking. It shares the simple, highly predictive new measurement tool-the Total Motivation (ToMo) Factor-that enables you to measure the strength of your culture, and track improvements over time. It explores the authors' original research into how Total Motivation leads to higher performance in iconic companies, from Apple to Starbucks to Southwest Airlines.Most importantly, it teaches you to build great cultures, using a systematic and sustainable approach. High performing cultures cant be left to chance. Organizations must create systems that shape and maintain them. Whether you're a five-person team or a startup, a school, a nonprofit or a mega-institution, Primed to Perform shows you how.

"Getting organizational culture right is as difficult as it is critical. Doshi and McGregor provide numerous real-world recommendations for how to do this. They bring to bear years of hands-on experience that will prove invaluable to leaders in all sectors-corporate, non-profit, and public." -- -Joel Klein, CEO Amplify, former Chancellor NYC public schools. "Getting organizational culture right is as difficult as it is critical. Doshi and McGregor provide numerous real-world recommendations for how to do this. They bring to bear years of hands-on experience that will prove invaluable to leaders in all sectors-corporate, non-profit, and public." -- -Tom Doctoroff, CEO Asia Pacific, J. Walter Thompson, author of Twitter is Not a Strategy "A winning strategy requires a winning organizational culture to carry it forward. In Primed to Perform former McKinsey consultants Neel Doshi and Lindsay McGregor give us practical guidance and proven practices to effectively transform our organizations through the science of motivation and performance." -- -Jeff DeGraff , The dean of innovation, professor, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, author of Leading Innovation "A fresh, ambitious look at the science and practice of motivation, with big implications for leaders to fuel high-performing, high-energy cultures. Primed to Perform is an excellent companion to Drive." -- -Adam Grant, Wharton professor and New York Times bestselling author of Give and Take "A grand tour of the science of culture, filled with awe-inspiring experiments and surprising, real-life case studies. Smart, deeply researched, and incredibly practical, leaders will turn to this book again and again whether they're building an organization from scratch or transforming an established company." -- -Shawn Achor, happiness researcher and New York Times bestselling author of The Happiness Advantage "This book is loaded with fascinating, thought-provoking and actionable advice that could transform a workplace from drudgery to real engagement. Take notes." -- -Patrick Lencioni, president, The Table Group, author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and The Advantage "Primed to Perform doesn't just provide tactics for motivating a few superstars; it offers a proven system for motivating an entire workforce. If you want to get your team off yesteryear's career ladders and onto new learning curves--stretching, growing and contributing at their best--read this book." -- -Liz Wiseman, President, The Wiseman Group, bestselling author of Multipliers and Rookie Smarts

Neel Doshi and Lindsay McGregor have a combined twenty years of practical experience transforming cultures at iconic institutions. They are the cofounders of Vega Factor, a company that helps organizations build high- performing, adaptive cultures through technology, learning programs, and human capital systems. Previously, Neel Doshi was a partner at McKinsey & Company and a founding member of a tech start-up. Lindsay McGregor led projects at McKinsey & Company with Fortune 500 companies as well as school systems and nonprofits. Lindsay and Neel are married and live in New York City.