The Intentional Organization is Now an Audiobook!

Our book, The Intentional Organization, has been a true labour of love. The project came into existence, because Sara and I, after our shared stint at Reaction Commerce ended, were looking for a project that would keep us working together. We’re both avid writers, so the idea of a book seemed reasonable. Little did we know that we’d spend the next four and a half years writing, editing, writing some more, and then worrying and caring for the design as much as the text.

When we published it last year, we intentionally held off on an audiobook version. Part of this was due to energy levels that have been sapped by the final sprint towards the finish line. Looking back, writing words was never the hard part for us. It was instead in the final steps towards the finish line, the design, the nitpicking over words in the final edits, and in getting everything prepared for the printer.

Earlier this year, we met in Montreal, Canada. Being nine time zones apart, we still aim to meet in person at least once a year. This year, we met to not only spend time together and do an annual review of our business, priorities, and strategy. We also booked a studio to record the audiobook. It was important to us that we narrated the book ourselves, which does make for an extra challenge when there are two authors and several timezones involved. But having somebody else, or an AI, narrate our book was out of the question from the get-go. This book is, after all, a 100% genuine human creation.

The style of our book is so that every chapter, and at times individual sections, are written from the perspective of one of us. One of our goals with the book was to make the book as personal and approachable as possible, so you’ll read (and now hear!) stories from our own past, about challenges we faced as leaders. Then we talk about how we solved it and how you could solve it should you ever face a similar situation. Which, I can tell you from coaching experience, you inevitably will.

Just like publishing a printed book, recording and then publishing an audiobook was a first for us. We booked a studio in Montreal and got started as soon as we got to the studio. Miraculously, we got through the entire book in just five days, including any fixes and re-recordings necessary after listening to the book for errors in our reading or in the editing.

There were only so many hours in the day that we could actually spend recording without ruining our voices. So we made sure to spend the other half day exploring Montreal, a beautiful city we thoroughly enjoyed. Poutine, bagels, festivals, bike rides, it was all there. Montreal reminded me a lot of cities on my home continent. As a Berliner, I felt right at home.

After we recorded the audiobook, we spent a weekend by a lake, just an hour north of Montreal, to unwind for a couple of days and to write a whole lot of postcards. We always make sure there's quality unplanned time whenever we meet, as we do with the offsites we facilitate.

Fast forward to today, and the audiobook is finally available. You get to listen to us narrating our own writing. You get to listen to me as I struggle with the nuances of pronouncing and enunciating the English language, which I have never appreciated as much as I did when reading our book out loud. There are certainly moments where, as an author, you wonder how a long sentence went uncaught during the editing process. All of this worrying happens while you’re reading the book out loud, also focusing on breathing, tempo, and ensuring that you don’t skip some words or stumble over others.

Still, an experience like no other. After having recorded a dozen podcast episodes before we eventually recorded the book, we built up some confidence in our ability to make it through. And we did.

Who’s the book for? Anyone who finds themselves in a new management or leadership position. Whether you’re moving from engineer to first time manager, or you’re starting a business and the team is growing around you, or you’re a first time executive or senior leader, the book is for you. We wrote it as a guide you can pull off the shelf whenever you feel stuck. Now you can do the same whenever you’re on the move or simply prefer listening to books. You can pop in on any chapter, for example on feedback, decision-making, meetings, or how to look after yourself, and just focus on that topic.

And, while doing so, you get to enjoy the fruits of our narration labour. You can find the book wherever you get your audiobooks, including Spotify, Apple Books, Audible, and Google Play.