The norms crushing innovation — and our joy — are finally made visible.
All 24 of them.
Our Best Work
In Our Best Work, Nilofer Merchant names the 24 invisible norms — born of hierarchy, control, and a worn-out model of capitalism — that limit us all. Along the way, she dismantles some of management’s most beloved ideas: Servant Leadership, Personal Branding, Speaking Up, Performance Reviews, Move Fast and Break Things.
These aren’t just ideas that fall short — they are daily routines that trap us in the past. Merchant exposes how and why they fail us. But it’s not enough to know the problem. We must also know how to move forward. She lights the path to the future by providing the 24 leading indicators that bring out the best of us and the best in us. Each chapter closes with a concrete practice, so that teams can turn insight into action.
With this incisive take, Merchant offers a clear and collective path to do our best work, including:
- Unlocking the essential source of innovation: new and novel ideas
- Replacing competition with trust
- Creating the solutions of tomorrow, not just today’s profits
If you’re tired of self-help fixes or the latest fads, Our Best Work offers another way: by changing the rules of work itself.
“A delicious book, Our Best Work reminds us of what happens when we choose trust over fear and design a future we can be proud of together.”
John Maeda, Vice President of Design & AI at Microsoft, author of The Laws of Simplicity
“Refreshing and rigorous, this book takes on entrenched norms that stifle innovation and joy. Prepare to be challenged and inspired.”
Amy C. Edmondon, Novartis Professor of Leadership at Harvard Business School and bestselling author of Right Kind of Wrong
