Jocko Underground: The Way to Turn Your Rival Into Your Ally

In The Anatomy of Peace, the Arbinger Institute—a leading consultant in conflict resolution—discusses how we perpetuate conflict by misunderstanding its cause and acting inappropriately as a result. By understanding the mechanics of the conflict mindset, you'll find how we make conflict worse, how we invite the mistreatment we desire an end to, and how we blind ourselves to the true causes of our interpersonal problems.

In this guide, we discuss Arbinger’s strategy for adjusting your mindset, returning to appreciating the full humanity of others, and creating strong, conflict-resistant relationships in your home, business, and community. We also examine psychological theories that often underpin, support, or build upon Arbinger’s ideas.

How do business leaders create engaged, motivated, and coordinated teams? In The Way of the Shepherd, Kevin Leman and William Pentak use a fictional story to show how, by adopting a shepherd’s mindset, managers can foster loyalty, trust, and high performance among their "flock" of employees.

Leman is a psychologist, educator, and radio and television personality. Pentak is a business consultant, columnist, former pastor, and speaker. These authors use a narrative format to make leadership concepts accessible and memorable for readers seeking to improve their management skills in various organizational settings. In this guide, readers will discover how to build trust, organize teams effectively, and lead with purpose, all while learning to embody the compassionate yet firm nature of a shepherd-leader. Through our commentary, we'll explore some of the research behind Leman and Pentak's strategies, while comparing their advice to other business leaders' ideas.

Have you ever found yourself stuck in a project with people you don’t agree with, like, or trust? In Collaborating with the Enemy, conflict resolution expert Adam Kahane draws on his experience mediating high-stakes conflicts—from post-apartheid South Africa to corporate boardrooms—to offer an unconventional approach to working with difficult collaborators. Kahane’s “stretch collaboration” framework shows how to embrace both conflict and connection, experiment with different solutions when the path ahead isn’t clear, and focus on changing your contribution rather than trying to change others.

In our guide, you’ll learn strategies for transforming seemingly impossible collaborations into productive partnerships without requiring artificial harmony or universal agreement. We’ll also explore how these principles apply across different contexts—from community organizing to couture ateliers—and how they connect to Buddhism and its imperative to transcend your own perspective. Master these techniques and you’ll never again feel powerless when faced with collaborating with your “enemies.”

In an increasingly globalized world, we’re more likely to encounter people from other cultures than ever before. This diversity allows for creativity and innovation—but it can also be incredibly confusing. Why doesn't your Japanese colleague ever say what they mean? How come you’re the only person to arrive on time at a meeting in Nigeria?

In The Culture Map, cultural communications expert Erin Meyer presents a framework you can use to analyze how cultures differ from yours as well as practical strategies to mitigate any cultural misunderstandings. She also explains why these cultural differences developed in the first place.

In this guide, we’ll discuss these differences, Meyer’s strategies, and her explanations for how these cultural differences developed. We’ll also supplement Meyer’s ideas with external research—so you can understand exactly how cultural differences affect people and have the studies to back it up.

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable explores how teams fail to work cohesively together through a dynamic, five-part model of dysfunction. The five dysfunctions are 1) absence of trust, 2) fear of conflict, 3) lack of commitment, 4) avoidance of accountability, and 5) inattention to results. Through identifying these root causes of poor teamwork, teams can develop specific strategies for overcoming each of them. By doing this, they will become comfortable with one another, be willing to engage in constructive debate, achieve clarity and buy-in around team priorities, hold one another to high standards, and focus on team results instead of individual ambition.

For years, we’ve been taught the same formula for success: Start practicing as soon as possible, and don’t stop until you’re the best in the world. If you haven’t already been training, there’s no point in starting now—you’re too far behind. However, luckily for us, this formula for success is a myth. The true path to excellence is far more flexible.

David Epstein is a former writer for Sports Illustrated who has built his career writing about the science behind athleticism. In Range, Epstein makes the case for generalism: a broad competence in many areas rather than the extreme mastery of one. Not only does cultivating range free you to pursue more of your interests, it entails professional advantages you never could have predicted.

In this guide, we’ll trace Epstein’s ideas to the books and thinkers that inspired him and take a closer look at the studies he cites, including intriguing details that he chose to leave out.