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Articles by Nilofer
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Nilofer Merchant shared thisI’m so darn tired of frameworks that ask the people being harmed at work to do the work to fix it. Aren’t we all? What we call "normal" at work often turns out to be the problem. And because we don't have the words to describe it, we misdiagnose it—thinking the problem could be us (I just need to learn to communicate better!) or them (they aren't listening to me), rather than the conditions shaping both. And yet, much of what passes for leadership and career advice continues to locate the problem—and therefore the solution—at the level of the individual. As if taking another communications course, reading Lean In, attending a workshop on negotiating better pay, or refining one’s personal brand could meaningfully address pay inequity or any of the structural gaps we keep reproducing. This is the loop: we misname the problem, try to fix it ourselves, and then quietly conclude we just aren’t good enough at navigating it. Which is why my book—called Our Best Work—starts with the word Our. Because change is a group project. Change does not come from individuals becoming better communicators in broken systems. It comes from altering the conditions that those systems produce and reproduce. If we can name what we’ve been calling “normal,” we can finally see it. And if we can see it, we can change it. Listen to Shauna talk about her take on the norm she's a part of. I so appreciate her sharing her story here. and in #ourbest work.Nilofer Merchant shared thisThe One with the Pain Is(n't) the One with the Problem. that's the reframe at the heart of my story in Chapter 2 of Our Best Work by Nilofer Merchant. and it's one I wish I'd had earlier in my career. in this 2-minute video, I share an excerpt talking about one of the invisible norms that limits so many of us in the workplace: Demonize the Person instead of dealing with the problem underneath. it's (sometimes) subtle. it's common. and it costs the person and teams more than they realize. if this resonates, grab a copy of Our Best Work: Nilofer unpacks 23 other norms like this one, with the kind of clarity that actually changes how you lead.
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Nilofer Merchant shared thisI went to a workshop at Omega Institute with 60,000 words already written. By most standards, I was done. Dan Pink, a friend of mine, said it was already there, and he was like, "How is this just a proposal?" But I knew I wanted something more. At the workshop, Cheryl Strayed offered something I haven’t let go of: Truth has layers. Like lasagna, she said. There’s the cheesy layer—the one that’s easy to see, satisfying, quick to land. Then the sauce-and-noodles layer—the one with more texture, more going on. And then, if you keep going, there’s the bottom of the pan— that crusty, melded layer where everything has come together. The truthiest truth is at the bottom. It's the complex, messy part. And getting there isn’t about being smarter. It’s about being willing to sit with discomfort. To hold ambiguity. To stay curious instead of rushing to clarity. The world—especially the world of books—rewards the simple. The clean takeaway. The easy answer. And it's exactly why the Gallup and other data say work sucks for most of us. I dug in. Not because the first draft wasn't solid—but because I dreamt of writing something worthy of us. That’s the work I believe in now: Stay with it. Put yourself in the path of beauty—around people who do the work at that level. And don’t give up on your ideas until you reach the layer where everything is real. Grateful to Cheryl—and to Omega—for being that kind of place. Get OUR BEST WORK now: https://a.co/d/07lq2FhF Omega Institute for Holistic Studies Daniel Pink
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Nilofer Merchant shared this“The Fuckening.” That’s Andrew Yang’s phrase for what AI is about to do to the workforce—the idea that millions of workers will be replaced as machines get good enough to do what we do. And if you look at the latest headlines—Block, Meta, others—it feels like that moment has already arrived. But look closer. The story doesn’t hold. 1. It’s SPIN. We’re told layoffs are becoming “AI-first.” That’s bullshit. If AI truly made organizations more productive, the rational move wouldn’t be to shrink. It would be to grow. More productivity means more capacity. More capacity means more opportunity—more products, more customers, more innovation. Historically, when companies believe in a new capability, they expand into it. Instead, we’re seeing companies reduce headcount while claiming future gains. That’s not a growth strategy. I’m not even convinced it’s a strategy. It’s a ruse—a PR cover for failures in product and go-to-market. 2. It’s a NORM. Zoom out. For decades, corporate America has treated labor as a cost to minimize, not a capability to develop. That’s not controversial—it’s how performance is measured. Labor is an expense. Reducing it improves margins. Short-term gains are rewarded because they’re tangible. Intangibles are ignored. AI didn’t create this. It’s a norm. One of the 24 I named in Our Best Work. The norm being “just do it” rather than “do the right thing”. To be fair, layoffs are sometimes necessary—but not in these cases. And we know what happens next. Research consistently shows layoffs depress innovation—investment, risk-taking, knowledge continuity—and recovery takes YEARS, not quarters. 3. It’s a CHOICE. Andrew, Andrew… you’re being Chicken Little because it plays well. The dominant narrative says AI is inevitable—that technology determines the outcome and we just adapt. That’s wrong. Whenever we accept that the future is settled, at a time when it’s up for grabs, we’re yielding our power. Because .. the truth is that any Technology creates possibilities. It doesn’t make decisions. Leaders do. And even more so—we do, based on what we accept as normal. OR NOT We decide whether AI becomes a tool for extraction or expansion. We decide whether people are costs to minimize or capabilities to develop. We decide whether work becomes narrower—or richer. And so Andrew’s false narrative hides a better question: What is the role of human work in an AI world? How do we build a world of work where human aliveness is enabled? Get my book OUR BEST WORK now: https://a.co/d/0it4KGhH
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Nilofer Merchant shared thisThere’s a strange tenderness in the month after a book is released. A few reviews. A few notes. Small signals from people who found their way in. And me—feeling a little like I’m in a Mervyn’s ad from years ago— except instead of “open, open, open,” it’s something quieter. A kind of faith. Because the messages coming back are the ones that matter: “I feel less alone in this.” “I see the system now.” “I have more choice than I thought.” That’s all I wanted. Not to tell you how to be better. But to show you that you were never the problem. So I’ll wait. For you to read it. For more people to find it. For the moment it clicks. I'll wait and trust in the process. Get OUR BEST WORK now https://a.co/d/0eSNsFYu
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Nilofer Merchant shared thisAn excerpt from #ourbestwork. The existing limiting norm is "whatever happens, happens" and the future-forward practice is ... "what we allow to happen, happens." On accountability and change.Nilofer Merchant shared this"Research shows that knowledge workers are keenly aware of idea theft; nearly one-third report having had it happen to them." http://f-st.co/1d0musvThe real reason your ideas get stolen at work—and how to stop itThe real reason your ideas get stolen at work—and how to stop it
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Nilofer Merchant reposted thisNilofer Merchant reposted this#NewReleases | From what limits us at work to why a world appears before us when we open our eyes, this week's new releases offer a diverse range of topics for your autodidactic inquiries and pleasure. First up (alphabetically), Nilofer Merchant explores the "24 invisible norms—born of hierarchy, control, and a worn-out model of capitalism—that limit us all" and offers instruction for "changing the rules of work itself." Next, Beth Gardiner exposes how plastics have become a financial lifeline for Big Oil as it "stares down a future of diminishing demand for fossil fuels," and the "hidden health crisis caused by chemicals in the items we use every day." Then, we turn to Michel Nieva, author of the acclaimed sci-fi novel Dengue Boy, for the nonfiction alternative to the novel which "explores the almost always ambiguous threshold that technology and culture have drawn between what is understood as human and what is not, living and nonliving, and which is the seed of the biggest questions of this century." Finally, Michael Pollan "takes us into the laboratories of our own minds, ultimately showing us how we might make better use of the gift of awareness to more meaningfully connect with the world and our deepest selves" All of these books offer potential for profound change—in how we work, in what we consume, in how we think about and experience the world around us, and the individual minds and identities we experience it through—and all four are available online and on local bookshop shelves today. → OUR BEST WORK: BREAK FREE FROM THE 24 INVISIBLE NORMS THAT LIMIT US by Nilofer Merchant, published by Harper Business → PLASTIC INC.: THE SECRET HISTORY AND SHOCKING FUTURE OF BIG OIL'S BIGGEST BET by Beth Gardiner, published by Avery → TECHNOLOGY AND BARBARISM (OR: HOW BILLIONAIRES WILL SAVE US FROM THE END OF THE WORLD) by Michel Nieva, translated by Rahul Bery, published by Astra House → A WORLD APPEARS: A JOURNEY INTO CONSCIOUSNESS by Michael Pollan, published by Penguin Press A link to the publisher's descriptions and to purchase these books is in the comments. Interested in ordering multiple copies for an event? Visit porchlightbooks.com.
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Nilofer Merchant shared this“Just do it.” “Move fast and break things.” These business idioms celebrate action over aspiration. They trumpet outcomes and profits as an organizing principle because without profits, you can’t go on to do good. This take on value—monetary value—leads teams to prioritize whichever direction leads to more money, size, profit, revenue, or stock valuation. It’s all about being bigger, the bottom line, and the bank account. Then there are these ideas at work: Do what matters. Create value, not just products. Make a dent in the universe. These sayings represent a different take, one that celebrates humanistic values. Viewed through this lens, value is not about measuring things but about making a judgment call. Value here is about the best way to act or live. It’s principles and purpose, what’s good and not-so-good. This perspective directs you to what has the most meaning. In business, this means being ethical and responsible, caring about more than the immediate gain, considering the environment and sustainability, and providing social value through your work. This focus on humanistic values gives purpose to the endeavor. It’s the difference between “Just do it” and “Do the right thing.” This difference? It’s significant. At the heart of the question: what is our best work? is the distinction between these two completely contrasting measures of value. #ourbestwork
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Nilofer Merchant shared thisYepadoodle >>
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Nilofer Merchant shared thisWe all made Epstein Island possible. The subtle dismissals. The closed doors. The invitations that never came. The jokes that weren’t funny but nobody challenged them. The way one man’s voice filled the room and everyone else just . . . made room. And not for the rest of us—because the real scandal isn’t what these powerful men did. It’s what we accept as normal that made it possible. We didn’t build this city. We inherited it. And until we see how it confines us, we’ll keep calling it home. If you’re a leader—or in HR, or in communications drafting the familiar “we take this seriously” memo—the real question isn’t What did he do? The real question is What did we normalize? Here are three places to look. Read the full article below. https://lnkd.in/guWuFX-z
Experience & Education
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BrightSight Speakers (Americas), Speakers Associates (ROW)
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Honors & Awards
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Ranked #10 Most Influential Thinker in HR
HR Magazine (https://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/hr-most-influential/thinkers-2019)
HR's Most Influential Thinkers 2019:
#1 Amy Edmondson of Harvard
#2 Mee-Yan Cheung-Judge
#3 Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic of Columbia
#4 Adam Grant of Wharton
#5 Matthew Taylor, CEO of RSA
#6 Herminia Ibarra of LBS
#7 Simon Sinek of Start With Why
#8 Caroline Criado-Perez of Invisible Women
#9 Perry Timms of PTHR
#10 Nilofer Merchant of Power Of Onlyness -
Digital Thinker
Thinkers50, The Oscars of Management
For the second time, Nilofer Merchant is being recognized as one of the Leading Thinkers of our time. Thinkers50 scans, ranks and shares the very best in management ideas. Its definitive global ranking of management thinkers is published every two years. In 2013, Merchant was recognized as the #1 thinker on the Future of Management who would lead the field in both theory and practice.
In 2015, she's been shortlisted for the category of top Digital Thinker. This recognition says that…For the second time, Nilofer Merchant is being recognized as one of the Leading Thinkers of our time. Thinkers50 scans, ranks and shares the very best in management ideas. Its definitive global ranking of management thinkers is published every two years. In 2013, Merchant was recognized as the #1 thinker on the Future of Management who would lead the field in both theory and practice.
In 2015, she's been shortlisted for the category of top Digital Thinker. This recognition says that while digital technology has transformed the world of work, it has also changed the way
we understand ourselves as human beings. Thinker's research and insights shed the newest and most original light on the new digital reality. Award celebrates the thinker who has done the most to convert the digital language of the 0 and 1 into useful human insights. Fellow nominees include Erik Brynjolfsson & Andrew McAfee, Peter Diamandis, Umair Haque, Don Tapscott, and others. -
Ranked #1 Thinker on the Future, by Thinkers50
Thinkers 50 -- Scanning, ranking and sharing the best management ideas in the world.
Since 2001, Thinkers 50 recognizes the top thinkers in management. Nilofer Merchant was recognized and ranked as the #1 thinker on the future in a Distinguished Achievement Awards held in Drapers Hall, London, November 2013. This award goes to the Thinker who has emerged over the last two years with the potential to change the world of theory, and practice.
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25 of Smartest Women on Twitter
Fast Company
Just delighted to be included in a group that Fast Company today named the 25 smartest women to follow on Twitter. It’s a very distinguished group, including Rosabeth Moss Kanter at Harvard. Chelsea Clinton, Rita McGrath of Columbia, Christiana Amanpour of CNN, Jacqueline Novogratz of Acumen Fund, and many other fascinating (and smart) talented people.
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17 Women Who Dominate the Digital World
Mashable
As Internet and technology lovers, we feel like it's also our duty to celebrate incredible contributions. Caterina Fake, Sheryl Sandberg, Susan Wojcicki, Cady Coleman, Meg Whitman, Ursula Burns, Safra Catz, Padmasree Warrior, Amy Poehler, Ory Okolloh, Katie Jacobs Stanton, Sarah Blakley, Arianna Huffington, and Melinda Gates were chosen alongside Nilofer Merchant. (link: http://mashable.com/2013/05/11/supermoms/)
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