This week we released three workshops to use with your team based on books top CEOs recommend.
None of them are traditional business books.
Ted Sarandos (Netflix) reads a 122-year-old novella about a ship captain stuck in a storm. Satya Nadella (Microsoft) reads a story about Depression-era rowers who won Olympic gold. Simon Sinek recommends a parenting manual from the 1980s.
These leaders aren't only reading business books. They're reading books about human nature, and they're finding lessons that most leadership literature misses entirely.
We've turned their recommendations into practical team workshops.
Tip: You can use our AI to adjust any of our 220 workshop frameworks for session length, group size, or audience in seconds if you become a Pro Member.
Start with what your group needs most
Need to lead through uncertainty? → Leadership When the Storm Hits
Need stronger team cohesion? → Finding Swing
Need better conversations? → Talk So Teams Will Listen
1. Leadership When the Storm Hits
Based on Joseph Conrad's "Typhoon", recommended by Ted Sarandos, Netflix Co-CEO
"It doesn't sound like a management story on the surface, but I think it's the most powerful leadership story I've ever read." Sarandos has read it repeatedly over twenty years and keeps finding new lessons about leading when plans fall apart.
Participants will:
- Identify their default responses when facing pressure and uncertainty
- Learn the three anchors that keep leaders grounded during crisis
- Practise staying present and decisive with incomplete information
When to use it: When your team faces uncertainty. When leaders freeze or over-control under pressure. When people need to make decisions without waiting for perfect clarity.
What makes it work: Realistic crisis scenarios force participants to practise the skills under simulated pressure. They don't just discuss leadership; they experience what it takes to stay present when everything is chaos.
2. Finding Swing Workshop
Based on Daniel James Brown's "The Boys in the Boat", recommended by Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO
Nadella turned to this book when he became CEO of Microsoft. "A wonderful illustration of the importance of teamwork," he said. The book describes "swing", that rare state where individual rowers move as one and the boat seems to lift effortlessly. It only happens when ego disappears and trust takes over.
Participants will:
- Assess their team across five dimensions that create collective performance
- Identify what's blocking their team's swing and what's building it
- Create shared commitments to strengthen how they work together
When to use it: When teams need to improve collaboration. When individual performance is strong but collective results are weak. When trust or communication has broken down.
What makes it work: The honest assessment reveals where team members see things differently. The gap between scores often sparks the most important conversations.
3. Talk So Teams Will Listen Workshop
Based on Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish's "How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk", recommended by Simon Sinek
"It's not a traditional leadership book, but it's one of the best," Sinek says. He calls it "a bright yellow guide to human connection" that teaches leaders to ask questions that draw out people's passions and build real trust.
Participants will:
- Recognise default responses that shut down connection
- Practise four skills that make people feel heard and valued
- Build new habits for conversations that unlock potential
When to use it: When managers give too much advice instead of listening. When people don't feel heard. When you want better one-to-ones and team conversations.
What makes it work: The contrast between typical responses and connection-building alternatives is immediately obvious. Participants feel the difference before they understand it intellectually.
How to choose which workshop to run
If your focus is leading through difficulty: Start with Leadership When the Storm Hits. It builds the presence and decisiveness leaders need when plans fall apart.
If your focus is team performance: Start with Finding Swing. It creates shared language for discussing what helps and hinders collective performance.
If your focus is better conversations: Start with Talk So Teams Will Listen. It transforms how people communicate and builds trust through everyday interactions.
Run all three as a series: Crisis leadership + team cohesion + human connection = leaders and teams that perform when it matters most.
What you get with each workshop
Every workshop includes:
✅ Complete facilitation guide with detailed steps
✅ Precise timing and activity instructions
✅ Debrief questions for every step
✅ Secret Sauce facilitator notes for handling tricky moments
✅ All handouts and templates (ready to print)
✅ Action plan templates for participants
In summary
Need to lead through uncertainty? → Leadership When the Storm Hits
Need stronger team cohesion? → Finding Swing
Need better conversations? → Talk So Teams Will Listen
All three team workshops are available now in your library.
Questions? Send me an email. I read every response.