In this book, Ed Catmull shares insights on how to build and maintain a creative culture within an organization. Drawing from his experiences at Pixar, Catmull discusses the importance of open communication, risk-taking, and protecting the creative process. The book includes candid discussions, anecdotes about Pixar's film development, and lessons on managing innovation and creativity. It emphasizes the need for a nurturing work environment and the importance of storytelling in business.
Bob Sutton and Jeff Pfeffer's "Hard Facts, Dangerous Half-Truths, and Total Nonsense" advocates for evidence-based management, urging managers to rely on data and research rather than intuition or fads. The book challenges common management practices that lack empirical support, highlighting the importance of critical thinking and rigorous evaluation. It explores various management topics, such as leadership, motivation, and organizational structure, providing evidence-based insights to improve decision-making. The authors emphasize the need to question assumptions and challenge conventional wisdom, promoting a more data-driven approach to management. The book serves as a valuable resource for managers seeking to improve their effectiveness through evidence-based practices.
In 'Work Rules!', Laszlo Bock shares insights from his time as the head of People Operations at Google, revealing why Google is consistently rated one of the best places to work. The book distills 15 years of intensive worker R&D into counterintuitive principles that are easy to implement. It covers topics such as company culture, hiring practices, and management strategies, providing practical advice on how to create a high-performing and creative workplace. Bock also includes examples from various industries and challenges conventional wisdom on hiring, training, and compensating employees.
In 'Good Boss, Bad Boss', Robert I. Sutton weaves together psychological and management research with compelling stories and cases to reveal the mindset and actions of the best and worst bosses. The book emphasizes the importance of self-awareness, controlling one's moods and moves, and staying in tune with how followers, superiors, peers, and customers react. It provides practical advice on how great bosses protect their people from unnecessary distractions, absorb and deflect external pressures, and make adjustments to continuously inspire effort, dignity, and pride among their team.
The Friction Project by Robert I. Sutton and Huggy Rao focuses on the concept of friction in organizations, highlighting both its positive and negative aspects. The authors provide tools and strategies for identifying, assessing, and addressing friction, including 'friction forensics' and a 'help pyramid.' They delve into common friction troubles such as oblivious leaders, addition sickness, broken connections, jargon monoxide, and fast and frenzied people and teams. The book emphasizes the importance of leaders acting as 'friction fixers' to improve communication, cooperation, and collaboration, and to maintain a productive workplace culture[2][4][6].
In this book, Robert I. Sutton discusses the destructive impact of 'assholes' in the workplace, providing strategies for identifying and eliminating negative influences. He introduces the concept of the 'Total Cost of Assholes' (TCA) and offers practical advice on how to build a more civilized and productive work environment. The book includes case studies from various organizations and provides a self-diagnostic test to help readers identify and manage their own behavior. Sutton also explores the difference between 'temporary' and 'certified' assholes and how to deal with each type effectively.
Bob Sutton is among the most influential business scholars today. One of Stanford’s Business School’s most distinguished professors, a bestselling author of seven books including, most recently, The Friction Project, he has advised CEO’s ranging from Pixar’s Ed Catmull to IDEO’s David Kelley.
Yet his career didn’t start out in an ivory tower, but in a pizza shop smoking pot. It was through a series of relationships, starting with the woman who would become his wife, that he found his path. Along the way he built the bonds that led to penetrating insights about how organizations function.
In this episode, Bob shares his thoughts on how leaders do—and don’t—create the conditions for their organizations to succeed and shares personal anecdotes about famous CEOs, the founding of Stanford’s “D-School” and much more.
Bob Sutton’s website: https://www.bobsutton.net/
Bob’s new book: https://amzn.to/40gaDTH
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Changemaker Mindset 
