New from HBR Press: The First Rule of Mastery

A guide to overcoming what may be the single greatest constrictor of human potential: our fear of people’s opinions (FOPO). [BOOKS]( [COLLECTIONS]( [TOOLS]( [CASE STUDIES]( [HBR STORE]( A guide to overcoming what may be the single greatest constrictor of human potential: our fear of people’s opinions (FOPO) [The First Rule of Mastery]( FOPO shows up almost everywhere in our lives—and the consequences are great. When we let FOPO take control, we play it safe and small because we're afraid of what will happen on the other side of critique. When challenged, we surrender our viewpoint. We trade in authenticity for approval. But it doesn't have to be this way. In The First Rule of Mastery, Michael Gervais shows us that the key to leading a high-performance life is to redirect our attention from the world outside us to the world inside us. Filled with fascinating stories from the worlds of sports and business, Gervais reveals the mental skills and practices we need to overcome FOPO so that we live our lives on our own terms. [LEARN MORE]( [The First Rule of Mastery]( More new releases [The Year in Tech 2024: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review]( [Know What Matters]( [Working Identity]( [HBR's 10 Must Reads 2024]( Discover more in the HBR Store Master essential business and leadership skills with books, tools, cases, and more. [SHOP NOW]( Purchasers are responsible for all shipping charges, duties, taxes, brokerage fees, and/or import fees imposed by the country of import. You are receiving this because you registered at hbr.org to receive Special Promotions emails, or you provided us with your email address. If you prefer not to receive Special Promotions emails, please [unsubscribe](. You may also [Manage Email Preferences]( view our [Privacy Policy]( or [Contact Us](. To ensure email delivery, add noreply@a.email.hbr.org to your address book, contacts, or safe sender list. Copyright © 2023 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved. Harvard Business Publishing, 20 Guest St, Suite 700, Brighton, MA 02135