{"product_id":"work-smart-be-happy-the-foundation-a-new-foundation-for-sustainable-leadership-9789403873909","title":"Work Smart, Be Happy; The Foundation: A New Foundation for Sustainable Leadership","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis book presents a new foundation for sustainable leadership by shifting focus from external results to inner alignment. Rather than offering techniques, it explores the internal state from which effective leadership naturally arises.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt its core is the concept of \u003cstrong\u003eeffortlessness\u003c\/strong\u003e-not as doing less, but as acting without inner friction. Effortlessness emerges when four inner capacities-\u003cstrong\u003ethinking, feeling, doing, and will\u003c\/strong\u003e-are aligned. When these are imbalanced, leaders experience stress, overwork, and reduced effectiveness. When aligned, work becomes clear, focused, and sustainable.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA key insight is that most people operate within an unconscious \"box\"-a mental framework shaped by past experiences and beliefs. This box determines how they perceive reality, make decisions, and pursue success. Lasting change begins with becoming aware of this box and shifting the mindset within it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe book challenges the traditional sequence of \u003cstrong\u003ehaving → doing → being\u003c\/strong\u003e, where self-worth depends on results. Instead, it proposes \u003cstrong\u003ebeing → doing → having\u003c\/strong\u003e: choosing who you are first, acting from that place, and allowing results to follow. This shift reduces pressure, increases clarity, and improves both performance and well-being.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLeadership is framed as an internal process before it becomes an external role. Effective leaders develop \u003cstrong\u003eself-leadership\u003c\/strong\u003e, aligning their inner capacities and balancing four leadership energies (Air, Water, Fire, Earth), which correspond to thinking, feeling, doing, and will. Imbalance-such as over-reliance on action or analysis-leads to stress and inefficiency.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe book also identifies four leadership roles (Administrator, Collaborator, Producer, Entrepreneur), showing how different leaders emphasize different capacities. Sustainable leadership comes not from strengthening strengths, but from restoring balance and flexibility.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSeveral themes reinforce this foundation: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIdentity and ego\u003c\/strong\u003e: Leaders often merge their identity with their role, creating pressure and defensiveness. Separating self from role restores clarity and resilience. \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDecision-making\u003c\/strong\u003e: The best decisions come from alignment, not fear or urgency. Choosing from \"being\" leads to clearer, more grounded actions. \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMotivation\u003c\/strong\u003e: Cannot be forced; it emerges when meaning, safety, and alignment are present. \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEnergy and rhythm\u003c\/strong\u003e: Sustainable leadership respects limits, pace, and recovery rather than constant urgency. \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAttention and perception\u003c\/strong\u003e: Where attention goes, energy flows-shaping both experience and results. \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eInner climate\u003c\/strong\u003e: The leader's internal state determines the external environment of teams and organizations. \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePractical elements include visualization, small daily practices, and developing awareness of inner patterns. Change is not achieved through force, but through consistent reorientation toward clarity, presence, and alignment.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUltimately, the book argues that \u003cstrong\u003eworking smart and being happy are not separate goals\u003c\/strong\u003e. They are natural outcomes of the same inner condition: balanced self-leadership. When leaders act from this place, results improve, stress decreases, and both work and life feel more meaningful and integrated.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Jupiter Holding\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/01\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9789403873909\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 216\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.91lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.59d","brand":"Michiel Arens","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52774306152629,"sku":"9789403873909","price":24.64,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/work-smart-be-happy-the-foundation-a-new-foundation-for-sustainable-leadership-9789403873909","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}