"The Intentional Organization" is Now Available For Preorder
Being in the United States right now feels like being in a big dumpster fire. Reading and watching the news is a test of my emotional strength and stamina. Every day, it feels like an entire community of people or another country is being marginalized and maligned. We are in the midst of fascism. There is incredible inequality. CEO pay is out of control. The wealth of the top percentage of individuals is significantly greater than the majority. There is overwhelming waste and accumulation of debt. The words Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are being banned and erased from our vocabulary, and the very programs that once tried to promise equality and fairness are being stripped away. And that’s not even everything that is happening.
It’s a lot to digest.
In the midst of the chaos, publishing a book about building intentional businesses, at this very moment in history, feels even more important than I imagined when I started writing it four years ago. Even though Reaction Commerce had been acquired in 2020, Mathias and I felt like we had more work to do together. We were still meeting each week, and we started talking about our experience of building teams and companies–things that worked and things that didn’t. We had similar ideas for how to manage people and teams that value them as humans rather than resources. We felt like these ideas didn’t really exist in a book, so we decided to start writing them down. We wrote about feedback, delegation, decision making, and communication. We, an American and a German, wrote about culture. We defined an intentional organization as one that centers around inclusion, clarity, and learning. I spent the last four years really diving into how to create a satisfying work experience where people can thrive, be themselves, feel supported and grow–and now seems like the perfect time to be publishing these words. It’s the perfect time to loudly state that building intentional and inclusive companies matters.
It’s only in retrospect that I realize my dad planted so many of these seeds in me. His best friend was Frank Purcell. They were lifelong friends as well as business partners. We’re talking over 60 years. I honestly don’t even remember the details of their business endeavors, but what I do remember is that Frank and his family were fixtures in our lives. The Purcell family was our family. We all played tennis together, hiked the mountains of Palm Springs, celebrated important milestones, and so much more.
When I think about partnerships, I think about my dad and Frank–their values, their affinity, their endurance. They modeled a different kind of work/life balance for me, one that integrates the two, each strengthening the other. They impressed upon me, unconsciously, that it doesn’t serve us to job hop and move on from colleagues. We are not meant to throw jobs and people away in pursuit of the next big thing.
When I set out to find a new business partner for my company Reaction Commerce, I didn’t even know that what I really wanted was what my dad had. I only knew that I was feeling overwhelmed, lost, and alone. And I needed help. Then, in 2018 I happened upon a post from Mathias. I feel grateful to have built a work/life relationship that has thrived and endured beyond companies, across countries, and now through writing a book together. I am thankful to have someone who is now not just a partner but, like the Purcell’s, a dear family friend.
More details about our book, including where you can preorder it, are here. And if you are inclined, please leave a review after you’ve read it. It helps to get the word out!