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AHA!: Leadership Insights for Making Business a More Human Experience
This is a book for leaders, particularly CEOs, executive directors, divisional leaders and for anyone aspiring to lead people in a better way, a more human way. It’s for people who have chosen the ‘adventure ride’ and not the ‘guided tour’.
My book is based on over 30 years of real-life experiences with CEOs and the strategies and cultures they strive to bring into play, their behaviour, successful approaches, challenges, mistakes and at times failures. I have been in the thick of it.
I am setting out to shine fresh light through my 12 insights. I have created different lenses through which you can consider (and perhaps adjust) your approach to leading – to make business a more human experience.
I have shared practical advice, case studies, stories, some of the tools I’ve developed and real-life examples, all based on the relationships I have built in advising and coaching leaders. You’ll find powerful and beautiful graphics and in places an aphoristic style to stimulate your curiosity and inspire you.
My book is based on over 30 years of real-life experiences with CEOs and the strategies and cultures they strive to bring into play, their behaviour, successful approaches, challenges, mistakes and at times failures. I have been in the thick of it.
I am setting out to shine fresh light through my 12 insights. I have created different lenses through which you can consider (and perhaps adjust) your approach to leading – to make business a more human experience.
I have shared practical advice, case studies, stories, some of the tools I’ve developed and real-life examples, all based on the relationships I have built in advising and coaching leaders. You’ll find powerful and beautiful graphics and in places an aphoristic style to stimulate your curiosity and inspire you.
Audible Audio
Published September 10, 2025
About the author
Mark Watson
53 books357 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Mark Watson is an English comedian, novelist, and producer whose career spans stand-up, radio, television, and literature. Born in Bristol to a Welsh mother and English father, he grew up with younger twin sisters and a brother. Educated at Bristol Grammar School, he went on to study English at Queens' College, Cambridge, graduating with first-class honours. At university, he became a member of the prestigious Footlights, performing alongside Stefan Golaszewski, Tim Key, and Dan Stevens, and contributing to a revue nominated for Best Newcomer at the 2001 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Watson first gained wider recognition through stand-up comedy, performing regularly at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where he won the inaugural Panel Prize at the if.comeddies in 2006 and received a Perrier Comedy Award nomination in 2005. Known for inventive and often marathon performances, his shows have included 24-hour performances, collaborative audience-driven novels, and themed events like the “Earth Summit” and “Edit,” compiling his festival highlights. His comedy frequently incorporates unusual settings, from ferries and streams to vaccination queues, demonstrating his flair for unconventional experiences.
On television, Watson co-hosted the BBC Four panel show We Need Answers, appeared on series including Taskmaster, Richard Osman's House of Games, and Celebrity Mastermind, and starred in his own programs such as Mark Watson Kicks Off and the Channel 4 panel show The Mad Bad Ad Show. His appearances also extend to stand-up specials on Live at the Apollo, Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow, and international comedy festivals in Australia and New Zealand.
In radio, he has hosted multiple series including Mark Watson Makes the World Substantially Better and Mark Watson Talks A Bit About Life, often collaborating with Tim Key, Tom Basden, and Flo & Joan. He has also contributed to BBC Radio 5 Live’s Fighting Talk and produced series exploring both comedy and broader cultural themes.
Watson is also a prolific author, publishing novels, non-fiction works, and graphic novels. His books include Bullet Points, Crap at the Environment, Eleven, The Knot, Dan and Sam, Hotel Alpha, The Place That Didn't Exist, Contacts, Mortification, and One Minute Away.
Beyond performing and writing, he co-runs Impatient Productions, producing radio shows, podcasts, and digital content, and hosts the World Snooker Tour podcast Snooker Club. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he innovated with livestreamed 24-hour charity events called “Watsonathon!” and co-created the YouTube series No More Jockeys.
Mark Watson is a lifelong supporter of Bristol City Football Club and continues to live in East London, balancing a career that blends comedy, literature, and experimental performance with a commitment to inventive, audience-focused storytelling and engaging entertainment.
Mark Watson is an English comedian, novelist, and producer whose career spans stand-up, radio, television, and literature. Born in Bristol to a Welsh mother and English father, he grew up with younger twin sisters and a brother. Educated at Bristol Grammar School, he went on to study English at Queens' College, Cambridge, graduating with first-class honours. At university, he became a member of the prestigious Footlights, performing alongside Stefan Golaszewski, Tim Key, and Dan Stevens, and contributing to a revue nominated for Best Newcomer at the 2001 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Watson first gained wider recognition through stand-up comedy, performing regularly at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where he won the inaugural Panel Prize at the if.comeddies in 2006 and received a Perrier Comedy Award nomination in 2005. Known for inventive and often marathon performances, his shows have included 24-hour performances, collaborative audience-driven novels, and themed events like the “Earth Summit” and “Edit,” compiling his festival highlights. His comedy frequently incorporates unusual settings, from ferries and streams to vaccination queues, demonstrating his flair for unconventional experiences.
On television, Watson co-hosted the BBC Four panel show We Need Answers, appeared on series including Taskmaster, Richard Osman's House of Games, and Celebrity Mastermind, and starred in his own programs such as Mark Watson Kicks Off and the Channel 4 panel show The Mad Bad Ad Show. His appearances also extend to stand-up specials on Live at the Apollo, Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow, and international comedy festivals in Australia and New Zealand.
In radio, he has hosted multiple series including Mark Watson Makes the World Substantially Better and Mark Watson Talks A Bit About Life, often collaborating with Tim Key, Tom Basden, and Flo & Joan. He has also contributed to BBC Radio 5 Live’s Fighting Talk and produced series exploring both comedy and broader cultural themes.
Watson is also a prolific author, publishing novels, non-fiction works, and graphic novels. His books include Bullet Points, Crap at the Environment, Eleven, The Knot, Dan and Sam, Hotel Alpha, The Place That Didn't Exist, Contacts, Mortification, and One Minute Away.
Beyond performing and writing, he co-runs Impatient Productions, producing radio shows, podcasts, and digital content, and hosts the World Snooker Tour podcast Snooker Club. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he innovated with livestreamed 24-hour charity events called “Watsonathon!” and co-created the YouTube series No More Jockeys.
Mark Watson is a lifelong supporter of Bristol City Football Club and continues to live in East London, balancing a career that blends comedy, literature, and experimental performance with a commitment to inventive, audience-focused storytelling and engaging entertainment.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 21, 2026
AHA! Leadership: Insights for Making Business a More Human Experience is a reflective and practical book for leaders who want to move beyond formulaic leadership advice and lead in a more genuinely human way. Drawing on over 30 years of real world experience with CEOs and senior leaders, Mark Watson offers insights that feel earned rather than theoretical.
Structured around twelve leadership insights, the book invites readers to examine their behavior, culture, and decision making through different lenses. The stories, case studies, and tools are grounded in real challenges and honest reflections, including missteps and failures, which gives the book credibility and depth. Watson’s aphoristic style and visual elements encourage pause and reflection rather than rushed consumption.
What stands out most is the book’s refusal to oversimplify leadership. AHA! is best suited for leaders willing to take responsibility for the human impact of their choices and who see leadership as an ongoing practice, not a destination. Thoughtful and quietly inspiring, it offers meaningful guidance for anyone committed to leading with integrity and awareness.
Structured around twelve leadership insights, the book invites readers to examine their behavior, culture, and decision making through different lenses. The stories, case studies, and tools are grounded in real challenges and honest reflections, including missteps and failures, which gives the book credibility and depth. Watson’s aphoristic style and visual elements encourage pause and reflection rather than rushed consumption.
What stands out most is the book’s refusal to oversimplify leadership. AHA! is best suited for leaders willing to take responsibility for the human impact of their choices and who see leadership as an ongoing practice, not a destination. Thoughtful and quietly inspiring, it offers meaningful guidance for anyone committed to leading with integrity and awareness.
Displaying 1 of 1 review