With so much of our time and energy given to work, it can and should be a source of joy. I hope that the research, stories, and guidance we’ve shared help you realize the career and life changes you deserve. When Marie first reached out to learn about my background, I never would have imagined collaborating to write this book—and with it, having the chance to help so many people gain more happiness, meaning, control, and simply sanity on the job. For someone who has spent almost two decades researching, advising, and teaching people how to make work better, it’s a dream come true. I sincerely thank Marie for partnering with me on this journey.
I’m grateful to many people for their help, first and foremost my wife, Randi. Her wisdom and counsel helped make every word I wrote better—and her support and encouragement made finishing the book not just possible but also truly enjoyable. Sharing the experience with her by my side brought us even closer together—and that’s a gift that lives beyond these pages.
Two terrific research assistants, Amber Szymczyk and Jessica Yi, arranged the right people to interview, helped locate compelling examples, and conducted test interventions. Additional thanks to Kristen Schwartz for highlighting helpful studies and to Derren Barken for his feedback on digital tidying.
Adam Grant played matchmaker by introducing my work to Marie’s team.
Every book needs a champion, and my agent, Richard Pine, skillfully played this role. Beyond his generous comments to push my ideas and edits to make them clearer, the book never would have been finished without his sound judgment and spot-on advice.
My deep appreciation goes to Tracy Behar and the entire Little, Brown Spark team, including Jess Chun, Jules Horbachevsky, Sabrina Callahan, Lauren Hesse, and Ian Straus. Tracy’s keen editorial eye and unwavering patience carried the book over—and well past—the finish line.
I’m incredibly lucky to have the support of my colleagues at Rice University. Mikki Hebl and Claudia Kolker provided invaluable comments on the entire manuscript, and Jon Miles offered great insights about teams. I’m also very grateful for the backing from the business school’s administration, especially Dean Peter Rodriguez and the entire marketing team, including Kathleen Clark, Kevin Palmer, and Weezie Mackey. Special thanks to Laurel Smith and Saanya Bhargava for their social media help and to Jeff Falk for assistance with publicity. Nothing sparks more joy for me than having such wonderful colleagues.