An exceptional, encyclopedic, and hopeful vision of the future.
An accomplished scholar discusses societal transformation in this expansive study.
Visser’s pragmatic perspective on humanity’s challenges as expressed in this work is reason for optimism. An academic, poet, and author of 40 books, he brilliantly addresses the interrelationship of humans with nature, society, the economy, and organizations under the broad umbrella of regeneration. Drawing from his own research and others’, Visser identifies “six keys to thriving”—complexity, circularity, creativity, coherence, convergence, and continuity—deftly explaining each in the first chapter. “Six” is a recurrent theme; the author subsequently talks about the shift from “six forces of breakdown” to “six counterforces of breakthrough,” a concept that helps establish the foundation for a wide-ranging, erudite discussion of regeneration. A section on “Nature” delves into restoring ecosystems and developing a circular economy, the subjects of Visser’s Closing the Loop, a 2018 documentary. In the next two sections, the author writes elegantly about an inclusive, healthier economy along with the effects of technology and such crises as climate change on the world’s societies. Finally, Visser tackles how systems integration and forward-thinking leaders can play integral roles in regenerating businesses. The quality of the writing is superb throughout the work; the author clearly, thoroughly, and convincingly covers each topic. One distinctive feature of the book is the frequent use of sidebars highlighting a “Key Concept,” “Fresh Insight,” “Hot Trend,” “Case Spotlight,” “Breakthrough Solution,” or other intriguing tidbits of information. Such additions serve to enrich and illustrate the text with engaging, timely content. Another unusual aspect of the book is its poetry. To close each chapter, Visser appends a relevant poem he wrote. For example, “Giving Up” begins: “I’m giving up— / Not on life, but on those actions that threaten life / Not on living, but on those habits that distract from living / Not on loving, but on those fears that get in the way of loving.” These poems insert a warmly creative literary element into an otherwise scholarly text. Extensive notes and an exhaustive bibliography demonstrate the rigorous research conducted by the author.
An exceptional, encyclopedic, and hopeful vision of the future.Pub Date: March 8, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-63908-007-6
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Fast Company Press
Review Posted Online: March 5, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A passionate and accessible guide to humanizing the workplace.
Helbig and Norman present a game plan for making leadership more responsively human.
In this expanded update to The Psychological Safety Playbook: Lead More Powerfully by Being More Human (2023), the authors provide “practical strategies for responding to resistance, sparking change, embodying the change we want to see, and moving forward deliberately,” specifically in a business setting. They suggest ways to encourage what they call “changemakers” through the use of five key “plays” from their playbook: Communicate Courageously, Master the Art of Listening, Manage Your Reactions (“shift from automatic reaction to conscious response to stay better connected to yourself and others”), Embrace Risk and Failure, and Design Inclusive Rituals. The goal is to ensure that organizational cultures promote psychological safety, guided by leaders who “walk the talk” by emphasizing their own humanity at every turn. (“We must be the first to share our own failures with our teams, which will start to make it possible for others to do the same.”) This call for example-setting is sounded throughout the book as Helbig and Norman urge their target audience (leaders and would-be leaders) to go beyond mere instruction and instead embody the qualities they want to see in their subordinates, such as continuous learning, active curiosity, and self-reflection. Each chapter includes a detailed “Recommended Reading” section and text with extensive numbered and bulleted points formatted to make the core concepts more immediately digestible. The authors effectively employ clear and empathetic prose to assure readers that psychological safety is slow to build and quick to break, observing that such safety requires steady attention and delivers outsize payoffs as a result. They refreshingly ground a great deal of the material in psychology and neuroscience, pointing out, for instance, that research has demonstrated that the parasympathetic nervous system responds to honest appreciation, which improves creative thinking. Some wistful readers might consider some of the authors’ suggestions beyond the reach of their own organizations, as when group facilitators are advised to “gently intervene when someone dominates the conversation,” but hope springs eternal.
A passionate and accessible guide to humanizing the workplace.Pub Date: May 19, 2026
ISBN: 9798993550503
Page Count: 170
Publisher: Crazy Idea Press
Review Posted Online: April 23, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet final word from an actor who leaves a legacy of compassion and kindness.
The late actor offers a gentle guide for living with more purpose, love, and joy.
Mixing poetry, prescriptive challenges, and elements of memoir, Heche (1969-2022) delivers a narrative that is more encouraging workbook than life story. The author wants to share what she has discovered over the course of a life filled with abuse, advocacy, and uncanny turning points. Her greatest discovery? Love. “Open yourself up to love and transform kindness from a feeling you extend to those around you to actions that you perform for them,” she writes. “Only by caring can we open ourselves up to the universe, and only by opening up to the universe can we fully experience all the wonders that it holds, the greatest of which is love.” Throughout the occasionally overwrought text, Heche is heavy on the concept of care. She wants us to experience joy as she does, and she provides a road map for how to get there. Instead of slinking away from Hollywood and the ridicule that she endured there, Heche found the good and hung on, with Alec Baldwin and Harrison Ford starring as particularly shining knights in her story. Some readers may dismiss this material as vapid Hollywood stuff, but Heche’s perspective is an empathetic blend of Buddhism (minimize suffering), dialectical behavioral therapy (tolerating distress), Christianity (do unto others), and pre-Socratic philosophy (sufficient reason). “You’re not out to change the whole world, but to increase the levels of love and kindness in the world, drop by drop,” she writes. “Over time, these actions wear away the coldness, hate, and indifference around us as surely as water slowly wearing away stone.” Readers grieving her loss will take solace knowing that she lived her love-filled life on her own terms. Heche’s business and podcast partner, Heather Duffy, writes the epilogue, closing the book on a life well lived.
A sweet final word from an actor who leaves a legacy of compassion and kindness.Pub Date: Jan. 24, 2023
ISBN: 9781627783316
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Viva Editions
Review Posted Online: Feb. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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