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Our Best Work: Break Free from the 24 Invisible Norms That Limit Us
How can we fix what we can't see? The norms crushing innovation—and our joy—are finally made visible. All 24 of them.
In Our Best Work, Nilofer Merchant names the 24 invisible norms—born of hierarchy, control, and a worn-out model of capitalism—that limit us all. Along the way, she dismantles some of management’s most beloved
Servant LeadershipPersonal BrandingSpeaking UpPerformance ReviewsMove Fast and Break Things
These aren’t just ideas that fall short—they are daily routines that trap us in the past. Merchant exposes how and why they fail us. But it’s not enough to know the problem, we must also know how to move forward. She lights the path to the future by providing the 24 leading indicators that bring out the best of us and the best of us. Each chapter closes with a concrete practice, so teams can turn insight into action.
Ranked among the world’s most influential management thinkers by Thinkers50, Merchant brings an unmatched range of from her start as an administrative assistant to shaping strategy at Apple and early-stage startups to serving on corporate boards. She has experienced the realities of power from every seat at the table, across industries, and around the globe. Her ideas have already reshaped companies—and their futures. With this incisive take, Merchant offers a clear and collective path to do our best work,
Unlocking the essential source of new and novel ideasReplacing competition with trustCreating the solutions of tomorrow, not just today’s profits
If you’ve tired of self-help fixes or the latest fads, Our Best Work offers another by changing the rules of work itself.
In Our Best Work, Nilofer Merchant names the 24 invisible norms—born of hierarchy, control, and a worn-out model of capitalism—that limit us all. Along the way, she dismantles some of management’s most beloved
Servant LeadershipPersonal BrandingSpeaking UpPerformance ReviewsMove Fast and Break Things
These aren’t just ideas that fall short—they are daily routines that trap us in the past. Merchant exposes how and why they fail us. But it’s not enough to know the problem, we must also know how to move forward. She lights the path to the future by providing the 24 leading indicators that bring out the best of us and the best of us. Each chapter closes with a concrete practice, so teams can turn insight into action.
Ranked among the world’s most influential management thinkers by Thinkers50, Merchant brings an unmatched range of from her start as an administrative assistant to shaping strategy at Apple and early-stage startups to serving on corporate boards. She has experienced the realities of power from every seat at the table, across industries, and around the globe. Her ideas have already reshaped companies—and their futures. With this incisive take, Merchant offers a clear and collective path to do our best work,
Unlocking the essential source of new and novel ideasReplacing competition with trustCreating the solutions of tomorrow, not just today’s profits
If you’ve tired of self-help fixes or the latest fads, Our Best Work offers another by changing the rules of work itself.
- GenresBusiness
352 pages, Hardcover
Published February 24, 2026
7 people are currently reading
3424 people want to read
About the author
Nilofer Merchant
6 books121 followersNilofer Merchant is the co-founder of Intangible Labs.
She spent over 25 years leading technology companies (Apple, Autodesk, GoLive/Adobe) and personally launched over 100 products and services, netting $18 billion in revenues.
She is ranked among the top 50 influential management thinkers in the world (one of her TED Talks has been referenced 300 million times).
Our Best Work is her 4th book.
She spent over 25 years leading technology companies (Apple, Autodesk, GoLive/Adobe) and personally launched over 100 products and services, netting $18 billion in revenues.
She is ranked among the top 50 influential management thinkers in the world (one of her TED Talks has been referenced 300 million times).
Our Best Work is her 4th book.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 2, 2026
Our Best Work is a book that has been missing from business spaces, forever.
This work from Nilofer Merchant is not only valuable from a performance and innovation point of view, it also speaks directly to the behaviours that reinforce degenerative cultures and leadership.
Focusing on 24 'Limiting Norms' that you will 100% empathise with, and offering 24 'Leading Indicators' as liberatory alternatives, this book is packed full of storytelling, case studies, and possibility.
If you are like me, you have wondered for years how we actively move away from the top-down, mechanistic, and often harmful organisational design that limits potential and value creation, then this book goes a long way to answering that wondering.
Working in the chemicals industry as I do, I can see the huge, trans formative power for both people and business performance of making this shift into measurable intangibles. Sounds like an oxymoron right? Dive into the book to see how Nilofer crafts potential and possibility that we too often cannot even see.
An easy 5/5 for me. I strongly urge you to get your copy.
This work from Nilofer Merchant is not only valuable from a performance and innovation point of view, it also speaks directly to the behaviours that reinforce degenerative cultures and leadership.
Focusing on 24 'Limiting Norms' that you will 100% empathise with, and offering 24 'Leading Indicators' as liberatory alternatives, this book is packed full of storytelling, case studies, and possibility.
If you are like me, you have wondered for years how we actively move away from the top-down, mechanistic, and often harmful organisational design that limits potential and value creation, then this book goes a long way to answering that wondering.
Working in the chemicals industry as I do, I can see the huge, trans formative power for both people and business performance of making this shift into measurable intangibles. Sounds like an oxymoron right? Dive into the book to see how Nilofer crafts potential and possibility that we too often cannot even see.
An easy 5/5 for me. I strongly urge you to get your copy.
April 17, 2026
Our Best Work. Break Free from the 24 Invisible Norms That Limit Us by Nilofer Merchant is a thought provoking examination of workplace systems and the hidden norms that shape behavior, leadership, and innovation. The book identifies 24 invisible rules that influence how organizations operate and challenges readers to rethink long standing management practices.
What stands out is the systems level perspective. Instead of focusing on individual productivity tips, it examines structural habits like performance reviews, hierarchy, and traditional leadership models, arguing that many of them limit creativity and trust. Each concept is paired with practical reflections, making the ideas more actionable.
Overall, it’s a reflective and forward looking business book that will appeal to leaders and professionals interested in organizational change, workplace culture, and modern leadership thinking.
What stands out is the systems level perspective. Instead of focusing on individual productivity tips, it examines structural habits like performance reviews, hierarchy, and traditional leadership models, arguing that many of them limit creativity and trust. Each concept is paired with practical reflections, making the ideas more actionable.
Overall, it’s a reflective and forward looking business book that will appeal to leaders and professionals interested in organizational change, workplace culture, and modern leadership thinking.
March 31, 2026
Although this book was written for how modern day businesses should begin to transform their way of thinking and organizing systems within. I could not help but think how education could use. many of these 24 strategies to transform education.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews