What's it about? Firm Feedback in a Fragile World (2025) is for anyone who’s tired of walking on eggshells while trying to lead their team. It will show you how to give clear, direct feedback without crushing your people’s spirit – or your credibility. If you want to build a culture of accountability while keeping trust strong, this is the guide you’ve been waiting for. Let’s face it – most people don’t exactly look forward to getting feedback. And many leaders aren’t well-trained communicators and therefore don’t feel confident giving it, either. But there’s an important paradox at play here. Even though nearly seven out of ten managers admit they feel uncomfortable giving feedback, three out of four employees actually want more feedback. This leaves our workplaces starved for the very thing they need to grow. Leaders often feel caught in a difficult spot. If they push too hard, they’re afraid people will leave – if they don’t say anything, they’re left cleaning up the mess them...

What's it about? Algospeak examines how digital platforms are transforming language. It shows how internet culture creates new ways of speaking and writing, shaping both online and offline communication. It also reveals how this technology-driven linguistic change reflects broader shifts in social norms, as well as our relationship to language itself. Algospeak Have you ever noticed that different online content platforms sound different? With YouTube, TikTok, Instagram Live, and beyond, it’s almost as if different social media platforms have their own accents.YouTube creators speak with rapid-fire delivery and minimal pauses – since any silence is an opportunity for someone to click away. TikTok creators use exaggerated intonation and strategically stretch out words like “aaand” and “soooo,” to keep viewers watching just a few seconds longer. It’s no coincidence. These are adaptations to each platform’s algorithm – the specific way each platform measures, prioritizes, and re...

What's it about? Who Is Government? (2025) asks an all-star team of US journalists to consider the questions: Who works for the government? And why is their work important? The answers uncover remarkable stories of the people, from cybersleuths to archivists, whose work keeps the United States running. In 2016, Donald Trump won his first US presidential election. Both Trump and his opponent, Hillary Clinton, had assembled teams who were poised to manage the transition of office across the 15 large federal departments and hundreds of smaller federal agencies that comprise the US civil service. But days after winning office, Trump fired the 500 or so staff on his transition team. He reportedly told governor Chris Christie that the two of them could handle the transition themselves. But in the days and weeks that followed, after a series of perplexing decisions – for example, appointing Rick Perry as Secretary of Energy, despite the fact that Perry had said in his own presidential...

What's it about? Never Search Alone (2022) reveals how to transform the isolating nightmare of job hunting into a collaborative, community-driven process that delivers better opportunities faster. You'll discover the power of community can support your career transition while expanding your network and providing crucial emotional scaffolding – ensuring you land roles that truly fit your goals and values. Are you looking for a job or thinking about switching careers? Then you know how isolating, exhausting, and even frightening the job search can feel. This lesson introduces a new approach that turns job hunting from a lonely struggle into a community-driven process. You’ll learn how to team up with fellow seekers, conduct market research before applying, and discover the sweet spot between your talents and real market demand. Whether you’re a recent graduate, a mid-career professional, or a senior executive, this approach helps you land better jobs faster – while giving yo...

What's it about? The Systems Leader (2025) explores how modern leaders can stay effective in a world of constant disruption and competing demands. It offers a practical framework for handling five tensions that show up across industries – like balancing short-term performance with long-term vision, or acting with both authority and empathy. Drawing on real-world examples, it shows you how to stay steady, think broadly, and make better decisions under pressure. Every year, hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Germany to admire classic cars and celebrate one of the most admired brands in the world. With top engineering talent, loyal customers, and global prestige, the company seems like a symbol of lasting success. But behind the scenes, its leaders face hard choices. They’re under pressure to protect short-term profits while building electric vehicles, improving software, and adjusting to a changing industry. The company’s edge in the past doesn’...

What's it about? The Gift of Not Belonging (2025) introduces and defines the concept of the “otrovert” –⁠ someone who is socially skilled yet persistently detached from group identities. It differentiates otroverts from introverts and extroverts and shows how “not fitting in” isn’t a flaw but a form of freedom that enables original thinking, deeper individual connections, and a self-defined life. The Gift of Not Belonging It begins, for many, with a quiet ache –⁠ a sense of standing just outside the circle, watching life unfold through a pane of invisible glass. You laugh at the right jokes, show up at the right parties, and speak the right small talk. And yet, you feel it: the disconnect, the impersonation, the performative belonging that never quite fits. Enter the otrovert –⁠ a person who doesn’t face inward like an introvert or outward like an extrovert, but in a different direction entirely. Otroverts can be social, warm, and even magnetic in one-on-one settings, but t...