All That We Are: Uncovering the Hidden Truths Behind Our Behaviour at Work

by Gabriella Braun

Longlisted for the 2022 CMI Management Book of the Year AwardWho do you bring with you to work?Try as we might, we cannot leave part of ourselves under the pillow with our pyjamas when we go to work. We bring all that we are.In this collection of stories, Gabriella Braun shares insights from over twenty years of taking psychoanalysis out of the therapy room and into the sta­ff room. She shows us why a board loses the plot, nearly causes their company to collapse, and how they come through. We see the connection between a headteacher's professional and personal loss. We understand seemingly unfathomable behaviour - why a man lets his organisation push him around, a lawyer becomes paranoid, a team repeatedly creates scapegoats, and founders of a literary agency feud.At a time when we are re-thinking the workplace, ALL THAT WE ARE shows that by taking human nature seriously, we can build more humane organisations where people and their work can thrive.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Business

250 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 3, 2022

Reviews

[Sophie Patrikios · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read it because someone I admire greatly, admired it greatly, and said it was the book they wished they’d written.

It did succeed in reminding me how important compassion is, to really force ourselves to open our hearts and minds to what is happening for others, and to remember, as a coach, facilitator or therapist, that it’s really not about us.

It also succeeded in reminding me how obnoxious books written by consultants are, with every chapter following the same pattern of ‘flawed people had a problem, I made an amazing intervention, they either did or did not recognise my awesomeness, The End’. It’s maybe impossible for anyone to write about their own case studies without sounding like an arse, and this author doesn’t manage it either. Even the ‘fails’ sound like someone answering the weaknesses interview with the classic ‘sometimes I think I am too committed’ humble-brag. Plus it was soooo hard not to get distracted wondering if we knew any of the companies she was working with!

I don’t regret the short time it took to read (it’s pretty light), and I’ll never regret being reminded to be compassionate - it’s not a strength - as you can tell by this review 😉

[Eglė Baltrušaitienė · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Remove the desk and chairs, the computers and cupboards, the factory floor or operating theatre and you have people. Just people. And everything we, as people, bring to our worksplaces. Our hopes, our fears, our histories and personalities. Our thoughts and fears, our histories and personalities. Our thoughts and feelings, attitudes and beliefes, our understandavle and unfathomable behaiviours. We bring all that we are”

pradžia buvo tokia įtraukianti, kad gal kiek per daug tikėjausi iš knygos..

įdomūs pavyzdžiai, priminimai apie tai, kad svarbu įsiklausyti, suprasti žmonės, būti atviriems su komanda.

[Nicola · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written book which gets underneath why we behave the way we do at work. Compassionate, intriguing and very revealing. Brilliant.

[Jurgita Petrutyte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knyga, kurią verta paskaityti kiekvienam vadovui, turinčiam pavaldinių

Gabriella Braun (knygos autorė) yra psichologė/verslo konsultantė. Ji padeda komandoms, kurios patiria sunkumų bendradarbiaujant. Kiekvienas knygos skyrius yra atskiras klientas ir jų problemos. Labai įdomu buvo skaityti, nes LT niekad negirdėjau apie tokią profesiją egzistuojant. Ji iš psichologinės pusės aiškinasi kas sukelia bėdeles komandose ir padeda taisyti situaciją.
Nu ir ką - visi mes skirtingi, su skirtingom patirtim ir kiekvienas su savom traumom ir kompleksais, kurie sėkmingai kartu keliauja kas rytą į darbą. Daug dalykų ji aptaria. Keletas man labaiusiai įstrigusių:

• Kalbėtis kalbėtis kalbėtis. Ne tik apie darbą, bet ir apie rimtus pokyčius gyvenime. Tada aplinka labiau supras kas vyksta ir kodėl. Ir darbdaviai labai dažnai turi bėdelių su komunikacija -ypač kai naujienos blogos.

• Kindness. Nu šita jau visi verslo konsultanato kala vadovams į galvas.

• Užmerkti akis ir apsimesti, kad nieko nematau. Dėl tokio požiūrio verslai patiria didelių sunkumų ar net žlunga.

“I think the reason we habitually discount the need for proper understanding of human nature in the workplace is fear.
We don’t want to know the chaos our minds can dissolve into. That as well as our aptitude for compassion, kindness and hope, we all have another side that breeds envy, violence and hatred. The knowledge of this frightens us.”

[Michaela Salmon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I heard Gabriella speak at a work event I went to and they also gave us a copy of her book at this event. It is an interesting read. She is a consultant who goes into workplaces and helps to sort out issues. The book is full of stories of different staff groups and individuals she’s worked with and what she uncovered about the human dynamics which often caused problems. There is also a bit of theory. The main message of the book is that we can’t work with people without trying to understand them and their situations and motivations and basically the takeaway message is to be nice and to listen to your colleagues! Also to not shy away from issues but to be bold and ask questions about how people are feeling about work issues.

[Yoke Mun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Told through a series of case studies, Braun highlights some of the issues that she has seen across the various organisations the she has worked in an with. The stories certainly tells us of the need for more compassion in the workplace. It was an easy read but I wished that there had been some running thread through all the stories or that it had looked at broader trends within the realm of work.

[Dinda Dannisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting case studies on how our internal biases, patterns, and upbringing may affect how we behave in professional setting. I like how the case studies vary across many industries, and how the writer was very compassionate towards her clients. However, this book fell short in delivering or repeating any key message — it feels like reading a book of short stories.

[Nino Meladze · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a bit higher expectations of this book. It was a good reminder of situations at work that all of us find ourselves in.
Not bad, but quite predictable and did not include any “a-ha” moments for me.

[Corinne Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rounded up from 2.5 - little insight, and I don’t believe for a second people said half of the things attributed to them. The dialogue was clunky and awkward.

[Darlene MacNeill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the storytelling in this book. The key themes of each chapter are universal in the workplace and she provides an additional layer of insight with her Psychoanalysis perspective.

[Amy R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super interesting look at group psychology and how our minds can connect and form something much bigger than ourselves at work - for good or ill.