Leo Bottary’s Peernovation is all about how teams, and more specifically, peer groups, can dramatically level up both personal and organizational performance. It’s got a clear message: we’re better together. Drawing on real-world experiences, psychological safety, servant leadership, and systems thinking, Bottary lays out how to transform “me” into “we” and turn groups into thriving, innovative teams. He builds his case with heartfelt stories, solid frameworks, and a whole lot of humanity. This isn’t another cold, data-heavy management book, it’s warm, real, and surprisingly inspiring.

I found the chapter about siloed thinking to be fascinating. The author tells a story about school systems teaching in isolation, history in one box, science in another, and how that same mindset creeps into corporate life, where departments barely talk to each other. Bottary doesn’t just point out the problem; he walks us through how learning together, sharing ideas, and being vulnerable with your peers can smash those silos. His anecdote about his experience in a learning cohort at Seton Hall was especially powerful. He went in with a “me” mentality and came out transformed by the group. That honesty made me trust him and made me reflect on my own journey as a teammate.

Then there’s the chapter on psychological safety, which deserves to be mentioned. It’s easy to toss around terms like “safe space,” but Bottary really gets into what that means in action. He talks about how leaders set the tone and how the best teams allow people to screw up, speak up, and be real. There’s a moment where he writes about people being more likely to ask “How are you?” than “What have you done for me lately?” in the midst of the pandemic. That kind of leadership, the kind that sees people first, isn’t just nice, it’s essential. Bottary argues that without that trust, you can’t innovate. And you sure as hell can’t grow.

And let’s not skip over the systems thinking part. At first, I was bracing for buzzwords, but this chapter surprised me. He tells the story of Apollo 13 and how engineers had to figure out how to put a square peg in a round hole, literally, to save the crew. It’s gripping. And it’s the perfect metaphor for what peer-driven innovation (aka “Peernovation”) looks like: people using limited resources, leaning on each other, thinking big-picture, and solving problems together. He even uses systems archetypes like “Tragedy of the Commons” to show how resource sharing can fall apart without mutual understanding.

Peernovation is a mindset shift. It’s a nudge to show up for your team differently. If you’re a leader, manager, coach, or even just someone who’s tired of Zoom calls that feel like you’re shouting into the void, this book is for you. Bottary gives you more than a framework; he gives you a reason to believe that collaboration isn’t just efficient; it’s deeply human. I finished it feeling both smarter and more connected.

Pages: 296 | ASIN : B0F37KF6HR