Welcome to the milestone 100th episode of the Building a Culture of Collaboration podcast!
In this special episode, Kurtis and Lorna are diving into their ultimate summer reading list for leaders: 5 essential books (plus one powerful bonus) designed to help you move your teams, break down organizational silos, and build high-functioning, sustainable cultures of collaboration. Whether you're relaxing by the lake or prepping for the upcoming quarter or new school year, these masterclass texts provide the exact blueprints you need to transform how your team works together.
The Summer Reading List & Key Takeaways:
1. Smarter Faster Better by Charles Duhigg Discover why psychological safety is the true engine of collaboration and how managing intentional group norms can radically drive your team's collective intelligence.
2. Drive by Daniel Pink Learn why traditional "If-Then" incentives crush creative teamwork and how to leverage Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose to build resilient, self-organizing teams.
3. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni A classic pyramid framework flipped to the collaboration angle. Learn why vulnerability-based trust and productive conflict are required to achieve true commitment and shared goals.
4. Right Kind of Wrong by Amy Edmondson Shift your culture from blame to curiosity. Explore how to reframe failure into "intelligent failures" and create low-stakes laboratories for cross-departmental innovation.
5. Hidden Potential by Adam Grant Discover how to look beyond "superstars" by building structures of peer-to-peer scaffolding, shifting from brainstorming to brainwriting, and rewarding "givers."
Released June 23, 2026
Connect with Kurtis Hewson
Twitter/X @hewsonk27
Connect with Lorna Hewson
Twitter/X @LornaHewson