Blog Archives
CULTURE RE-WIRED: Unleash Your Inner AI CEO
Culture Re-wired is part wake-up call, part playbook, and part pep talk. Author Ida Byrd-Hill dives straight into the heart of how artificial intelligence is reshaping business and insists that culture, not tech alone, determines who wins in this race. She draws on case studies, industry data, and real-life examples to demonstrate that both frontline workers and CEOs need to view AI as a partner, not a replacement. The book argues that human creativity, emotional intelligence, and culture are what turn AI into a genuine growth engine.
The writing style took me by surprise. It’s bold, loud, and packed with metaphors that sometimes felt like a pep rally. But the energy worked for me because the subject is urgent. The author doesn’t whitewash the fears people have about losing their jobs to AI, and she doesn’t dismiss those fears either. Instead, she shows how fear can kill innovation if it’s ignored. I found myself nodding along when she described middle managers as bottlenecks. I’ve seen that happen, and her advice on rewiring leadership training to focus on people skills resonated with me.
At the same time, I caught myself smiling at her bluntness. She doesn’t dance around her points, and that made the book fly by. The mix of statistics and case studies kept things grounded, but what I really liked were the stories of companies like Ford and Bank of America that had to push past cultural resistance to make AI stick. It’s one thing to say “culture matters,” but it’s another to show how culture literally makes or breaks billion-dollar rollouts. Reading those sections made me feel hopeful that AI doesn’t have to be a cold or scary thing. It can make work better if leaders get it right.
I’d recommend this book to managers, executives, and anyone who feels anxious about AI creeping into their job. It isn’t a technical manual. It’s about mindset. If you want to understand how culture drives technology instead of the other way around, I highly recommend this book. It’s equal parts practical advice and rallying cry, and it left me energized.
Pages: 128 | ASIN : B0FMYH3RQ1
Tech Confidential: The Insider’s Playbook for Daring Entrepreneurs
Tech Confidential by Denise Koessler Gosnell and Kathryn Erickson is part memoir, part survival guide, and part no-nonsense startup playbook. Structured in four “levels,” it blends personal war stories from Silicon Valley with lessons on leadership, resilience, and strategy. The authors pull back the curtain on the tech industry’s chaos, highlighting ego traps, toxic culture, funding realities, and the gritty human side of innovation. It’s blunt, funny, and practical, written to prepare readers for the messy reality of building a career and company in tech without losing their health or their soul.
The writing has a raw and punchy style that keeps you hooked, moving from hard-earned truths to ridiculous anecdotes without losing momentum. I loved that they owned their mistakes as openly as they exposed bad actors. It made the lessons feel earned rather than preached. Some of the analogies are wild, dumpster phoenix and gladiator arena, and yet they stick with you because they capture the absurdity of working in high-stakes tech. It’s not polished in the corporate sense, and that’s exactly why it works.
I enjoyed the balance between cynicism and hope. The authors don’t whitewash the burnout, politics, and plain bad behavior that plague the industry, but they never let it slip into pure bitterness. There’s a steady thread of belief in people’s ability to change, to lead better, and to protect their own boundaries. At times, the bluntness hits hard, and at others it feels like a pep talk you didn’t know you needed. I also appreciated how they mixed in concrete, tactical advice, like how to spot ego traps, how to build real teams, and how to survive acquisitions, without burying you in jargon or theory. It’s written for people, not for résumés.
I’d recommend Tech Confidential to anyone considering a leap into the startup world, to mid-career tech leaders wondering if the next rung up the ladder is worth it, and to anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider in the industry. It’s a book for people who can laugh at the chaos while still wanting to make something meaningful out of it. If you’re looking for a glossy playbook with neat frameworks, this isn’t it. But if you want the messy, funny, and often sobering truth, and a reminder that you’re not alone in the madness, you’ll get a lot out of this.
Pages: 203 | ASIN : B0FM4DZHCR
Why Aren’t Things Improving?
Unlocking Innovation introduces leaders to a framework called the ABCs—Behavior, Architecture, and Culture — by blending personal anecdotes, fictionalized case studies based on real people, and practical tools to guide readers through the psychological, structural, and cultural challenges that make or break innovation efforts. Why was this an important book for you to write?
For a long time, I resisted the idea of writing a book. Having spent most of my career in corporate innovation, the one thing I knew for certain was that the world did NOT need another book about innovation! There are thousands, maybe millions, out there, yet none of them have changed the results that corporates get from their innovation investments.
But then it hit me: If there are so many books about how to improve something, why aren’t things improving?
As I reflected on my experiences, patterns emerged: brilliant executives treating innovation like operations, teams getting crushed by unrealistic expectations, and 90% of corporate labs shutting down within three years. But it all boiled down to one thing.
Innovation isn’t an idea problem. It’s a leadership problem.
We’ve got plenty of ideas. What we don’t have are leaders who understand that everything that made them successful operators will doom them as innovators. This book exists because every executive tasked with innovation deserves better than innovation theater and false hope.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share?
First, do the opposite of your instincts. Like George Costanza, if every instinct you have is wrong, then the opposite would have to be right. It’s a simple concept that is incredibly hard to adopt. After all, your professional success created and honed your instincts, so ignoring them isn’t just difficult, it’s illogical. But innovation and operations are opposite worlds, which is why you need to do the opposite of the instincts that made you a successful operator.
Second, stop obsessing over finding the perfect process or structure for innovation. Those things are necessary but not at all sufficient for success. Instead, take a holistic approach by building the ABCs: Architecture, Behavior, and Culture. And focus on leadership behavior first because that’s what makes or breaks innovation investments.
Third, innovation is not an event. Stop wasting time and money on one-off hackathons, shark tanks, and startup field trips. Innovation ROI requires long-term investment not a one-day offsite.
What is one piece of advice you wish someone had given you when you were younger?
“I don’t have time” means “It’s not a priority,” and that’s perfectly fine because not everything can be a priority. As leaders, though, we need to own it and be honest about why we’re not engaging in something. And, as innovators, if we think something should be a priority, we need to work to figure out why it’s not and how to make it one.
Also, reflection isn’t navel-gazing; it’s how you turn experience into wisdom. Make time for it.
What is one thing you hope readers take away?
Success isn’t about beating the odds—it’s about changing lives. Every time you show someone they’re capable of more than they imagined, you’ve won. The real innovation isn’t the product you launch. It’s proving that doing the impossible is actually possible.
Plus, you should definitely have a cookie while doing all this. I recommend chocolate chip.
Only 1 in every 50,000 incubated ideas reaches $1 million in sales. If you ask most corporate executives why their companies’ innovation efforts fail, they’ll blame a lack of ideas or not enough big ideas. Innovation expert Robyn M. Bolton knows that innovation isn’t an idea problem, it’s a leadership problem. To drive real innovation, executives must defy the very instincts and behaviors that made them successful operators.
In Unlocking Innovation, Bolton draws on her twenty-five years of advising leaders to provide a practical, holistic innovation framework. Her ABCs of Innovation show leaders how to reshape their roles, teams, and organizations to create new value and catalyze corporate renewal from within. Using real-life stories, Bolton follows innovation leaders’ trajectories from heading up a new team and generating first results to navigating the inevitable crosswinds, complications, and conflicts—and ultimately delivering success. Unlocking Innovation is the essential guide for any leader tasked with innovating inside an established organization.
Unlocking Innovation: A Leader’s Guide for Turning Bold Ideas Into Tangible Results
After reading Robyn M. Bolton’s Unlocking Innovation, I can confidently say this book is a grounded, clear-eyed roadmap for any leader tasked with driving innovation inside a large organization. Structured around a three-year journey, the book presents a framework called the ABCs—Behavior, Architecture, and Culture—to help leaders navigate the real-world messiness of turning ideas into results. Bolton blends personal anecdotes, fictionalized case studies based on real people (like Hope, Faith, and Victor), and practical tools to guide readers through the psychological, structural, and cultural challenges that make or break innovation efforts. It’s not about dreaming up ideas; it’s about executing them.
Bolton’s voice is smart and strategic without being stiff. She has a gift for calling out corporate B.S. in a way that makes you laugh. Her stories, especially those that show leaders hitting roadblocks or being sidelined, felt familiar. The emphasis on behavior was a refreshing twist. Most business books obsess over frameworks and processes, but this one starts with the leader’s instincts, habits, and emotional resilience. It reminded me that sometimes, the biggest barrier to innovation isn’t the budget or the board, it’s us. Her advice to “do the opposite” of what made you successful in traditional roles resonated with me.
The year-by-year breakdown sometimes felt rigid, but even then, Bolton anticipates this and builds in flexibility. Her “Know Your” sections and TL;DR summaries are smart additions—like breadcrumbs through a dense forest. And the running joke about cookies was both charming and weirdly effective.
Unlocking Innovation is one of the few business books I’d recommend without hesitation to anyone leading innovation inside a complex organization. It’s especially useful for middle and senior managers who feel stuck between the C-suite’s demands and their team’s frustrations. If you’re tired of fluffy innovation talk and want something that respects both your intelligence and your time, this book is for you.
Pages: 223 | ASIN : B0DTRXX23S
Radicle Growth: Transform into an Unstoppable Leader through Mastering the Art of Questions
Radicle Growth is all about flipping the script on leadership. Dave Reynolds argues that the best bosses aren’t the ones with all the answers; they’re the ones with all the right questions. He shares a coaching framework rooted in asking purposeful questions to help employees grow into problem-solvers and leaders themselves. The book is part how-to, part mindset shift, and full of stories and analogies that make it stick. From managing up, down, and across to creating systems that build accountability, Reynolds wants you to stop managing and start coaching.
I dove into this book expecting another corporate pep talk with catchy buzzwords and vague advice. What I got instead was something surprisingly personal and kind of refreshing. Reynolds opens with a simple question he poses to new managers: “Who was your toughest boss?” and then follows it up with, “Who was your best boss?” The aha moment is that they’re often the same person. That cracked me open a bit. It’s so real. We remember the ones who pushed us because they made us better. I loved how Reynolds used this to frame the rest of the book. It sets the tone: this isn’t about making people feel good all the time; it’s about helping them grow. And sometimes growth feels like friction.
One of my favorite parts was the “don’t feed the ducks” story. Reynolds shares an anecdote about a high-performing salesperson who regularly handed off his leads to underperforming teammates. At first glance, this might seem generous or even admirable. However, Reynolds reframes the situation, revealing that such behavior fosters dependence rather than growth. He points out that the guy was actually creating dependency and hurting everyone’s growth in the long run. That’s what coaching solves. You guide people to find their own fish instead of tossing them one. This idea stuck with me. Reynolds makes it clear that it’s a short-term win and a long-term loss.
I also appreciated that Reynolds didn’t try to be some untouchable guru. He admits he learned all this the hard way, first in telecom, then across industries. The anecdote involving Reynolds offering impromptu coaching to a banking executive during an NHL game stands out as particularly impactful. It’s not about having all the technical knowledge; it’s about knowing how to ask questions that spark clarity. The idea that the less you know, the more you can help blew my mind. It reframes the whole idea of expertise.
Radicle Growth is less of a manual and more of a mindset shift. It’s a book for anyone in a leadership role who feels like they’re constantly stuck in the weeds, answering questions, solving problems, never really freeing up their time or developing their people. If you’ve ever felt like you’re just putting out fires instead of building something lasting, this book is for you. It’s great for managers, coaches, and even parents. Anyone who wants to learn how to lead with intention, not just authority.
Pages: 172 | ASIN : B0DWYQ7HDK
Your Road to Yes!: How to Build Trust in Yourself and with Others
Your Road to Yes! is a heartfelt and gutsy exploration of what it really takes to build trust—within yourself and with others. This book isn’t just about professional growth; it’s about personal healing too. Author Justin Patton breaks down trust into its moving parts, then rebuilds it with fierce honesty, storytelling, and practical advice. From everyday situations to life-changing revelations, he guides readers through what trust looks like in action, why it fails, and how to rebuild it. If Leadership Presence was about how to show up, Your Road to Yes! is about why showing up matters in the first place.
I liked how deeply personal this book is. Patton doesn’t just teach trust—he lays bare his own journey. In the first chapter, he shares a story about crashing his bike as a kid and how his tough Air Force dad gently carried him home and bandaged his toe. That moment, he writes, was his first real memory of trust. It got me thinking about those rare times in life when someone showed up for me with zero judgment. It’s this emotional openness that gives the book its power. Another example that resonated with me was the anecdote about his mom—how she never gave up on their relationship, even when things weren’t perfect. It made me reflect on how many times I’ve let silence kill trust in my own life because I didn’t want to rock the boat. Patton flips that idea. He says silence is our biggest threat, and that message echoed throughout the whole book like a wake-up call.
From a practical standpoint, this book is a toolbox. Patton outlines what erodes trust (like emotional exhaustion and fear-based leadership), and how to repair it with consistent action, transparency, and tact. I really appreciated how he framed trust as something both given from the heart and earned through the head. That balance stuck with me. He’s not shy about calling out performative leadership or the culture of busyness that drowns real connection. He talks about managers needing to stop hiding behind productivity metrics and actually invest in their people. I especially loved the chapter on trust being your “biggest competitive advantage.” It’s not just a nice idea—he backs it up with research and real-world coaching stories. And yet, it’s written in such a warm, down-to-earth tone.
Your Road to Yes! is equal parts pep talk and soul check. It’s a tough but loving reminder that trust doesn’t just happen—it’s built moment by moment, conversation by conversation. If you’ve ever felt like you were walking on eggshells in a relationship, or like your voice didn’t matter at work, this book will crack something open for you. I’d recommend it for leaders, parents, partners—honestly, anyone who wants deeper, healthier relationships. It’s also perfect for folks feeling stuck or burned out, looking for a more grounded way to lead and live.
Pages: 164 | ASIN : B0B4PFGPJD
The Win-Win Workplace: How Thriving Employees Drive Bottom-Line Success
Angela Jackson’s The Win-Win Workplace is an insightful exploration of what it takes to balance employee well-being with organizational success. Tackling the complexities of modern workplaces, Jackson redefines the employer-employee dynamic, presenting a blueprint for creating thriving, collaborative environments. Her work not only addresses the challenges of today’s workforce but also provides actionable strategies designed to foster mutual growth and sustainable success.
The book dives deep into core areas such as operationalizing employee feedback, empowering middle management, skills-based hiring, and long-term talent development. It emphasizes workplace culture as a values-driven ecosystem, highlighting the necessity of inclusivity and adaptability in a diverse and ever-evolving work environment. With a focus on data-driven decision-making and scalability, Jackson offers readers a rich, meticulously researched guide for optimizing workplaces. Her strategies are both practical and deeply rooted in evidence, making this book a powerful resource for leaders and HR professionals alike.
Jackson’s methodical approach shines through in every chapter. She meticulously deconstructs organizational structures, moving from frontline employees to senior leadership, and builds each concept upon the last. Her integration of case studies, such as Ekow’s Inside Voices and Buffer’s radical transparency model, brings abstract theories to life, offering readers tangible examples of her principles in action. Tools like the six-step ROI framework add further depth, demonstrating how her strategies can be applied in real-world scenarios with measurable results.
The writing is authoritative yet accessible, striking a careful balance between technical rigor and relatability. Jackson’s articulate style ensures the material is digestible without oversimplifying the complex dynamics of workplace systems. Her ability to weave research-driven insights with engaging anecdotes creates a compelling narrative that appeals to professionals across industries. The thoughtful structure of the book fosters a seamless reading experience, allowing readers to build their understanding progressively and apply the concepts effectively in their own contexts. Jackson highlights timely themes such as diversity, transparency, and the evolving workforce, supported by examples like Kanarys’ data-driven DEI initiatives. Her commitment to reimagining workplace paradigms underscores the idea that prioritizing employee well-being and achieving organizational success are not contradictory goals but mutually reinforcing pursuits.
The Win-Win Workplace is a must-read for business leaders, HR professionals, and anyone invested in creating equitable and productive workplaces. Jackson challenges outdated workplace norms and inspires readers to drive meaningful change. Comprehensive, methodical, and visionary, The Win-Win Workplace is a testament to Angela Jackson’s dedication to building better, more inclusive work environments. It is an essential guide for anyone seeking to adapt and lead in the modern world of work.
Pages: 240 | ASIN : B0D6V6B4TN
The Canary Code
In The Canary Code: A Guide to Neurodiversity, Dignity, and Intersectional Belonging at Work, Ludmila N. Praslova delivers a groundbreaking framework for rethinking workplace inclusivity through the lens of neurodiversity. At the heart of the book is the “Canary Code,” a compelling concept that underscores the transformative power of supporting the most vulnerable individuals in an organization. By prioritizing their well-being, Praslova argues, workplaces can evolve into environments that benefit everyone. Drawing a vivid analogy to the welcoming and diverse atmosphere of Glastonbury, Praslova advocates for workplaces to emulate this spirit of inclusivity and open-heartedness. Rejecting the deficit-based approach that seeks to “fix” neurodivergent individuals, she instead challenges organizations to confront and dismantle neuronormative systems that marginalize these employees. Her perspective reframes neurodiversity as a systemic issue, shifting the focus to creating equitable conditions where all individuals can thrive.
One of the book’s most powerful contributions lies in its exploration of neurodivergent leadership. Often overlooked in conversations about workplace diversity, this section examines the unique strengths neurodivergent leaders bring and highlights actionable steps organizations can take to support their advancement. Praslova’s emphasis on inclusive leadership—centered on outcomes rather than rigid adherence to traditional behaviors—offers a fresh and forward-thinking perspective. Blending social science, case studies, and actionable strategies, this book is both informative and inspiring.
Praslova writes with clarity and compassion, balancing academic rigor with accessibility. Her structured, articulate prose makes complex social concepts easy to understand, while her use of real-world examples and anecdotes adds relatability to the narrative. Praslova’s passion for social justice shines through on every page. From debunking misconceptions about neurodiversity to advocating for inclusive recruitment practices, her coverage of the subject is comprehensive. Particularly notable is her integration of both quantitative data—such as the alarming statistic on UK managerial reluctance to hire neurodivergent individuals—and qualitative stories that humanize the challenges faced by this community. This dual approach provides a holistic understanding of the systemic barriers neurodivergent individuals encounter. Praslova’s advocacy extends beyond awareness to actionable change. The book includes detailed strategies for eliminating barriers to workplace success, from crafting bias-free job descriptions to designing quiet workspaces that support focus and productivity. Her step-by-step guidance ensures that readers not only understand neurodiversity but also see its value, fostering workplaces where diverse neurological experiences are celebrated rather than stigmatized.
With The Canary Code, Ludmila N. Praslova offers a bold and essential blueprint for transforming workplaces into havens of inclusion and respect. Her work is as compassionate as it is informed, demonstrating her commitment to dismantling systemic inequities and creating opportunities for all individuals to thrive. This is more than a book; it is a call to action. For leaders, educators, and anyone committed to advancing workplace equity, The Canary Code is a vital resource—and a beacon of hope for a more inclusive future.
Pages: 352 | ASIN : B0CDN6V9SR
LITERARY TITAN 