Our first book, Think Talk Create, was just published — here’s what it’s about

There is a pervasive “common cold” affecting the world of work: the ruthless pursuit of numbers and productivity above all else. The only thing capable of deconstructing the inhumanity present in today’s professional world is humanity. And what uniquely defines us as human beings? Our ability to think, talk, and create.

Think Talk Create is a disciplined methodology for making professional and organizational environments more enjoyable and inspiring, as well as more innovative and successful. Throughout the book, we show that by applying this methodology not only will companies and organizations be better positioned for success, but all stakeholders — employees, customers, patients, and innocent bystanders — will benefit as well.

The Covid-19 pandemic has uprooted our lives. It has also demonstrated that business is profoundly human and the skills that lead to professional success aren’t necessarily the penny-pinching, task-master attributes praised in today’s business schools. Instead, we need to focus on the skills of human engineering. By learning how to think carefully about a challenge, engage peers in dialogue via open-ended questions, and build a strategy collaboratively, readers will come away with a rediscovered skillset that enables them to be agents of positive change.

This was true long before Covid. The world of work was evolving well before the pandemic began. Processes were becoming automated, and teams were increasingly scattered around the world. Social distancing aside, automation and globalization mean the tasks that remain are strategic work, collaborative work, and creative work. In other words, the work that remained was profoundly human.

The demands of human work then confronted the “numbers first, people second” mindset so prominent across organizations. Not only are these short-sighted, bottom-line-oriented environments bad for the people who work there, but they’re bad for business as well.

Cognitive science and organizational behavior show us what these humane, human professional environments look like. They are cultures in which team members share ideas freely, engage in active dialogue, share a sense of common values; they are psychologically safe, deeply trusting, and ridiculously high performing.

It doesn’t take a drastic intervention or radical overhaul of the company furniture to build these environments. In fact, every team member has agency in the collective effort to reframe their organization’s culture. By applying an ancient technique known as active inquiry, entry level associates and CEOs alike will learn how to think, talk, and create their professional futures. They will be applying a uniquely human skillset to build the professional environment in which they want to work.

Through compelling, narrative storytelling, this book will take you on a journey, not only to identify a major problem in need of attention, but to equip you with a skillset that enables you to implement the solution.

That’s why Think Talk Create is not just a book for those at the top, but for anybody interested in building a better world.

The book is now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, Walmart, Porchlight, and your local independent bookstore.

Listen to the audiobook on Audible.