The Courage Economy: Why Companies Lie and How to Change Yours

"The Courage Economy puts language around something I’ve seen throughout my career: organizations don’t usually struggle because they lack smart, capable people. They struggle because the way work gets done makes avoidance easier than honesty and comfort easier than challenge. Thane makes a compelling case that courage isn’t something we can simply ask of people. We have to create the conditions where people can question, challenge, take ownership, and do important work together. His idea that trust is an outcome, built through the work rather than manufactured through an initiative, particularly resonated with me. This book will make leaders look differently at their organizations and at the systems they may be unintentionally reinforcing."

"Most leaders try to fix silence by asking people to be braver. Thane Bellomo shows why that never works, and how to redesign work so that telling the truth becomes the rational choice. With hard-won stories and a practical framework, The Courage Economy shows leaders how to stop paying for comfortable lies."

"The Courage Economy is a provocative read, and Bellomo poses questions every leader should ponder. What lies do we tell at work and why, what is the cost, and what would our organizations look like without those lies? Bellomo provides some actions to consider for leaders who dare to tread."

"The Courage Economy is well written, and far more useful than most of what crosses my desk. Bellomo frames the three states of an organizational culture so clearly that a leader can leverage them the same day. He is also willing to dig into uncomfortable material, including lying and the psychology that makes it feel professional. This book has informed and deepened my own work on respectful leadership, and is an excellent, valuable, and important addition to the organizational development canon."