{"product_id":"friction-how-tension-emotion-and-change-reveal-better-leaders-9798999182203","title":"Friction: How Tension, Emotion, and Change Reveal Better Leaders","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEmotions are messy. Life is full of friction. Here's what to do about it.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYou've felt it -- the meeting that goes sideways after one wrong word, the feedback that lands wrong no matter how carefully you planned it, the relationship that keeps getting stuck in the same loop. You've felt it inside yourself too: the moment you react before you mean to, the pressure that makes everything harder than it should be, the Sunday evening dread that has nothing to do with the actual work.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat tension has a name. It's friction -- and most of us have never been taught what to do with it.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eFriction\u003c\/i\u003e, leadership researchers and organizational psychologists Maggie Sass and Ross Blankenship\u003cbr\u003emake the case that friction isn't random, it isn't weakness, and it isn't just \"bad communication.\" It's a predictable force that shows up in three distinct places -- inside you, between people, and in the systems and structures around you -- and it's quietly shaping everything from your own performance to your\u003cbr\u003eteam's culture.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrawing on findings from their National Emotions Survey of U.S. working adults, Sass and Blankenship introduce\u003cbr\u003ea practical framework for understanding how emotional tension actually works at work, and what you can do to reduce the costly kind while using productive friction to sharpen thinking, deepen trust, and improve outcomes.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe heart of the book is 45 experiments, organized across all three types of friction, that you can put to\u003cbr\u003ework immediately. Strategies like \"Breathe Before the Story,\" \"Set the Temperature with Your First Sentence,\" \"Listen for What's at Stake,\" and \"Premium Strategy, Regular Fuel\" give you concrete experiments to try in the moments when friction shows up and you need to respond on purpose rather than on instinct.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eFriction\u003c\/i\u003e will help you: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSpot the warning signs of escalating tension before it becomes a\u003cbr\u003eproblem\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHandle pressure without passing it on to your team\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHave the hard conversations you've been avoiding \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuild the kind of trust that makes your team resilient, not just\u003cbr\u003ecompliant\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRecognize when the system itself is creating friction, and what\u003cbr\u003eto do about it\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLead with more intention in conditions that feel faster and less\u003cbr\u003eforgiving than they used to\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eFriction\u003c\/i\u003e is for anyone who has ever been caught off guard by their own reaction, or someone else's. It's for the newly promoted manager who's discovering that the job is 80% emotional and no one ever told them. It's for the seasoned leader who's tired of advice that assumes they can be a robot or a saint. It's for the HR partner, the executive coach, the L\u0026amp;D director, and the facilitator who can feel a room's energy shift but need new language to help them navigate changing dynamics. And it's for anyone who has ever thought: \u003ci\u003eWhere is the user's manual for this mess?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMost leadership books ask you to choose: work on yourself, fix your relationships, or change your culture. \u003ci\u003eFriction\u003c\/i\u003e shows you why all three are connected by emotion and gives you the tools to work on all of them at once, backed by a companion website and downloadable worksheets.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe goal isn't to eliminate friction. The goal is to lead through it, better.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Talentsmart\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/25\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798999182203\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 288","brand":"Maggie Sass,Ross Blankenship","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52801221460149,"sku":"9798999182203","price":25.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/friction-how-tension-emotion-and-change-reveal-better-leaders-9798999182203","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}