The Workplace Book Club

These short excerpts and questions will spark meaningful dialogue and growth for your team.

Why literature? Why not a business book? Here is an introduction.

“Proud of your defects”

“Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen: The danger of false humility and asking others to excuse your behavior.

“Conviction vs. friendship”

More from Austen: How to navigate the tension between truth, logic and objectivity vs. relationships and harmony.

“Clothes make the man”

“Hamlet” by Shakespeare: How to give and receive feedback–and weather looks matter.

“No shame in tears”

“Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens: How and why to express negative emotions in the workplace.

“Nothing beside remains”

“Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley: Pride and leaving a legacy that lasts.

“Sarcasm in the workplace”

“Emma” by (you guessed it) Jane Austen: How to give and receive feedback–and use sarcasm.

“blind, partial, prejudiced, absurd”

More “Pride and Prejudice” from Jane Austen: How do we get convinced of falsehoods? How do we handle information that challenges our perceptions?

“citizens or subjects?”

A French aristocrat toured the USA in the 1830s. His report was the definitive look at what made America great. And it has a lot to say about the modern organization, too.