The Ships Are Burning: A No-BS Guide to Organizational Culture, Trust and Workplace Meaning by Scott Kohl

About The Ships Are Burning

The Ships Are Burning is part catharsis, part rant, and part practical guide. Written while Covid-19 was just beginning to overtake the globe, it became evident the need for creating authentic trust and connection in the workplace was more critical than ever. With Zoom Fatigue, we learned video conferencing wasn’t the answer. Nor are the consultants with reports and PowerPoints in hand. Culture cheerleaders are still aplenty with platitudes and “Hang in There” posters. HR initiatives failed us. Leadership has too often not walked the difficult walk. And returning to normal (the past) is a complete fantasy advantageous to only a select few. The Ships are Burning provides a blend of narratives, examples and techniques woven together around the theme of Organizational Culture. It doesn’t claim to be the best way forward, but it’s an honest and direct treatise unafraid to confront the BS and tokenism which regularly plays out in our work environments. The readers will discover a challenge to conventional practices of culture change within organizations, explore the understanding of culture from a practitioner’s direct experience, and pocket some practical thinking and actions to begin an authentic cultural shift.

The Ships Are Burning: A No-BS Guide to Organizational Culture, Trust and Workplace Meaning

About the Author

Scott’s twenty-five plus year career has been a journey working with traditional and mundane industries such as government, insurance and utilities to more eccentric sectors such as the music and video game industries. Often Scott is guided via the use of technology and business practices, but it is the human dynamic that is most curious to him – especially when he launched his own startup ThirdSpace Inc. No matter the organization or company or domain, the human element creates the most difficult and interesting questions. It is solving the human challenges of our companies and society that will determine who survives and prospers in the long run. When not building companies, teaching or designing products, Scott builds Legos with his son, Luca and enjoys camping with his wife Michelle and German Shepherd, Arya.

Qn 1: Who do you think would be interested in this book, The Ships Are Burning, is it directed at any particular market?

Management, C levels, business strategy, Organizational development consultants, Human Resources, Leaders dealing with hiring issues, organizational cultural issues, Great Resignation ex-pats, etc.

Qn 2: Out of all the books in the world, and all the authors, which are your favourite and why?

Tolkien is a personal favourite. Genre’s are sci-fi fantasy because they tell us stories of the future about possibility and hope but also caution – and our need to grow.

Qn 3: What guidance would you offer to someone new, or trying to enhance their writing?

Write often. Just brain dump ideas. Look for muses. Perfect = enemy of good. Get a coach and maybe co-write.

Qn 4: Where can our readers find out more about you, do you have a website, or a way to be contacted?

I blog a lot on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottekohl/
My other business website is https://www.thirdspaceshop.com/

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