YOU CAN CULTURE

Sturesson fleshes out the tenets of responsible leadership.

The author opens his nonfiction debut with a concise account of his own traumatic past: The Christian community to which he and his parents belonged gradually devolved into a cult from which all three of them had to struggle to extract themselves. “How could an organization seemingly driven by a noble mission become so toxic?” he asks when reflecting on these events (and broadening them to form the basis of this book). “How did I, someone who perceived myself as an ethical and values-driven leader, become complicit in psychological abuse?” Sturesson proposes and explicates a series of habits and practices to allow leaders to take ownership, take action, and become a part of positive change, always with the reminder that “it’s not about framing yourself as the hero.” The habits are generally broad and simple, detailed under headings like “Get Humble” or “Get Integrity.” The author’s elaborations (“values cannot give us all the answers. However, they should help us wrestle with vital questions about priorities, decisions, and behaviors”), drawn from his own experiences as well as the writings of well-known motivational books like Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (1989) or Victor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning (1946), are laid out with illustrations and bullet points. These elements, conveyed by Sturesson’s light, highly readable prose style, make the book a refreshing reminder of the basics of both responsible corporate culture and ethical interpersonal dealings. When the author writes things like “By focusing first on what you have the ability to control or influence, you will be much better positioned to help bring positive change,” Sturesson is teaching his readers about compassionate self-control in ways that effectively blend the fields of business motivation and self-help.

A compassionate plan for navigating ethical blind spots.