Our Best Work

How can we fix what we can't see? The invisible norms crushing innovation—and our joy—finally have a name. Nilofer Merchant, co-founder of The Intangible Labs, reveals what's killing great work and gives you the tools to fix it.
Something mighty—but invisible—is getting in the way of doing our best work. Seventy percent of people are ridiculously unhappy at work—a figure that has barely budged in thirty years. Despite major changes in technology, management trends, and office setups, the core issues that drive widespread discontent persist and exact a tangible cost: billions in lost productivity, stalled revenue, and missed advantages from ideas that never had their shot.
Drawing on decades of research and real-world experience, Nilofer Merchant identifies 24 invisible norms—rooted in outdated hierarchies, paternalism, and a worn-out model of capitalism—that prevent us from doing our best work. She shows how we can replace these 24 limits with 24 leading indicators that form the foundation for a new way of thinking, working, and creating value. She takes apart beloved management constructs and shows why they fail us, including:- Servant Leadership- Personal Branding- Performance Reviews- Speaking Up- Move Fast & Break Things- Strategy is Separate from Execution- Give Work Your All
Visionary and practical, Our Best Work lights the path from here to there.
Ranked one of the most influential management thinkers in the world by Thinkers50, Merchant has been both a successful business executive and incisive thinker, whose work is backed by a wealth of data and vivid case studies. Hers is a bold and brave message: the future is not about control or hierarchy; it’s about co-creation and unleashing the untapped potential within every individual.
Merchant’s deep experience—from administrative assistant to corporate board member—gives her insight into what needs to change and why. She speaks a new language to bring forth a new world in which we can add, build, and create the value we need. Using principles from economics, power, and leadership along with practical wisdom and a framework for collective progress, Our Best Work is an essential guide for leaders and organizations ready to thrive in a rapidly evolving world.

Nilofer Merchant is the co-founder of The Intangible Labs, defining the metrics of twenty-first-century work. She's a bestselling author of three books, a TED mainstage speaker, and recipient of the “Future Thinker” Award from Thinkers 50. An MBA graduate of Santa Clara University and Applied Economics at the University of San Francisco, Merchant has taught strategy, management, and leadership at Stanford University and Santa Clara University and guest-lectured at Yale. She has also served on corporate boards for Nasdaq-traded and private companies, as well as on public governance boards, and was a Fellow for the Prosperity Institute out of Rotman in Canada.