THE NEW WORK PLAYBOOK

Authenticity Theatre

The Closing Episode to Season 1 In this episode: – Why "be more authentic" became one of the most repeated and least useful pieces of advice in leadership. – How the field reached for an already-individualised idea of authenticity and ended up with a focus on self-awareness. – The difference between self-referential and relational authenticity. – Why the constraint most leaders are operating under is not an individual flaw but an organisational failure. – Robert Sutton's research on the cost of bad bosses, and why those costs almost never get measured. – A walk-back through the six foundational topics of Season 1 and what each one helps us resist. References in this episode: Robert Sutton The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't (2007) Robert Sutton Good Boss, Bad Boss: How to Be the Best… and Learn from the Worst (2010) Bill George Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value (2003) Jon Billsberry "Whither authentic leadership? From essentialist essence to constructionist reconstruction" in Management Review Quarterly, December 2025 Episodes referenced in the walk-back: We Are Losing Respect The Power Paradox The Confidence Trap The End of Why Trust: The Broken Spine Daring to Care

Practicing Care

The Reflection Episode on Caring Leadership In this episode: * How care propagates through three degrees of social connection. * The first practice: Small acts of care in daily life that you can apply immediately. * The second practice: A short reflection on four trust dimensions to consider before a difficult conversation. * Practical countermeasures you can use when one of the trust dimensions has been weak in the past. * The third practice: Three checks that help you focus and act on what someone needs. * Why recognising the limits of your responsibility is itself a caring move. Next episode: Season-closing with Authenticity and the 6 key leadership practices. Episodes mentioned: Daring to Care Trust: The Broken Spine Connect with me: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/annett-tnwp] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/thenewworkplaybook] Website [https://thenewworkplaybook.com/]

Daring to Care

We Got Lost in Translation by Focusing too Much on Empathy In this episode: * The difference between empathy and care. * Why most of us have been missing one half of the picture. * Daniel Goleman's update on empathy and the third capability most leadership training still doesn't teach. * Tania Singer's neuroscience on why empathy drains us and why care doesn't. * Dark empathy and why empathy training makes some leaders more manipulative. * Nel Noddings on motivational displacement and what care actually requires. Practices follow in the reflection episode on Thursday. Resources mentioned: Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence (1995) and his update with Paul Ekman on the three kinds of empathy. Tania Singer's neuroscience research on empathy and compassion. Robert Greenleaf, The Servant as Leader (1970). Nel Noddings, Caring: A Feminine Approach to Ethics and Moral Education (1984). Kim Scott, Radical Candor (2017). Nadja Heym et al., The Dark Empath: A Personality Profile (2021), Nottingham Trent University. Connect with me: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/annett-tnwp] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/thenewworkplaybook] Website [https://thenewworkplaybook.com/]

Rebuilding Trust in Yourself and with Others

The Reflection Episode on Bringing Trust Back in the Age of AI In this episode: * Why most of us name honesty as a value but do not really live it. * A personal story about kindness I received from a stranger and what it changed in how I move through the world. * Why most of us trade honesty for comfort in small daily moments, and why breaks trust. * Two practices for rebuilding self-trust: 1. naming what you stand for 2. choosing discomfort * Two practices for building trust with others: 1. noticing the commitments you keep 2. asking before assuming Referenced in this episode: The Broken Spine Sabini, Siepmann, and Stein-Seroussi on anticipated embarrassment, Personality and Individual Differences Next episode: Daring to Care Connect with me: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/annett-tnwp] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/thenewworkplaybook] Website [https://thenewworkplaybook.com/]

Trust: The Broken Spine

Bringing Trust Back in the Age of AI In this episode: * Why trust is a volatile value * Why even leaders who founded their company on clear principles and values are subject to the same pressures every leader faces * Why three of the most common trust-breaking leadership behaviours are not communication failures * The distinction between self-trust and self-confidence Can we bring trust back, especially in the age of AI? The episode answers that question. But the answer requires more from us than from the leaders we want to follow. Referenced in this episode: The Power Paradox The Confidence Trap Careless Leaders blog article [[https://thenewworkplaybook.com/careless-leaders/]](https://thenewworkplaybook.com/careless-leaders/)) Dario Amodei on 60 Minutes (CBS, 2024) Machines of Loving Grace by Dario Amodei [[https://www.darioamodei.com/essay/machines-of-loving-grace]](https://www.darioamodei.com/essay/machines-of-loving-grace)) Harvard Business Review [[https://hbr.org/2025/12/most-employees-dont-trust-their-leaders-heres-what-to-do-about-it]](https://hbr.org/2025/12/most-employees-dont-trust-their-leaders-heres-what-to-do-about-it)) Next: The reflection episode on Friday gives the practices for keeping self-trust and building trust with others. Connect with me: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/annett-tnwp] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/thenewworkplaybook] Website [https://thenewworkplaybook.com/]