AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT
WITH FRAN HAUSER
Celebrating female authors who inspire women to be their best selves with championing belonging, generosity, and strength.
Each month, Fran picks a favorite must read. From the here-and-now to worlds far away, we will experience connection, beauty and life through the eyes of real women. We invite you to make a cup of tea and gift yourself a moment to join us on this journey!
FEBRUARY PICK RITUALS ROADMAP BY ERICA KESWIN
For my inaugural author spotlight, I’m thrilled to choose Erica Keswin. Erica is an expert in creating high-performing workplace cultures and her books focus on the importance of human interaction and connection to bring the best of ourselves to work—a tenet I fully subscribe to. Erica’s first book, Bring Your Human to Work, was published in 2018 and made the WSJ Bestseller List. It distills 10 key practices any business leader can use to build a human-first workplace, like running meetings with a clear purpose and asking everyone to share their thoughts to ensure all attendees are present.
Erica came across a piece of research on what makes some firefighter teams more productive than others. The study found that the firefighters most devoted to the long-standing tradition of making and sharing the firehouse meal outperformed those who didn’t, and it was the relationships they formed and strengthened around the table that made all the difference. Erica became fascinated with rituals and studying the impact of rituals on business, and in her latest book, Rituals Roadmap, which comes out January 26th, she makes a business case for rituals at work and turning ordinary routines into workplace magic.
What sticks with me:
- Rituals help us feel like we’re part of something, something bigger than ourselves, and more meaningful than our Instagram feed or our list of to-dos.
- Rituals help ensure that we are all included, which increases psychological safety in the workplace.
- Rituals make meetings more productive, from sharing an agenda before the meeting so everyone can gather their thoughts to creating a closing ritual where everyone has a chance to speak up.
- Erica practices what she preaches, from being a caring and generous human to creating rituals that form deep connections like her spaghetti dinners where she brings people with a shared interest together.
ERICA KESWIN
Erica is a workplace strategist who has worked with some of the most iconic brands as a consultant, speaker, author and professional dot-connector. Her work and insights can be seen in varied media outlets, including Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Business Insider, New York Post, Entrepreneur, Conscious Company, Katie Couric Media, Fast Company and Thrive. She’s appeared on Good Morning America, MSNBS and Live with Kelly & Ryan. She was named one of Business Insider’s most innovative coaches of 2020.
FRAN HAUSER
Fran Hauser is a bestselling author, startup investor and champion of women. For more of her book recommendations, follow her @fransbookshelf on Instagram.
