A Financial Times ‘Summer Book of 2022’
Longlisted for the CMI Management Book of the Year Award
Who do you bring with you to work?
Try as we might, we cannot leave part of ourselves under the pillow with our pyjamas when we go to work. We bring all that we are.
In this collection of stories, Gabriella Braun shares insights from over twenty years of taking psychoanalysis out of the therapy room and into the staff room. She shows us why a board loses the plot, nearly causes their company to collapse, and how they come through. We see the connection between a headteacher’s professional and personal loss. We understand seemingly unfathomable behaviour – why a man lets his organisation push him around, a lawyer becomes paranoid, a team repeatedly creates scapegoats, and founders of a literary agency feud.
At a time when we are re-thinking the workplace, ALL THAT WE ARE shows that by taking human nature seriously, we can build more humane organisations where people and their work can thrive.
Longlisted for the CMI Management Book of the Year Award
Who do you bring with you to work?
Try as we might, we cannot leave part of ourselves under the pillow with our pyjamas when we go to work. We bring all that we are.
In this collection of stories, Gabriella Braun shares insights from over twenty years of taking psychoanalysis out of the therapy room and into the staff room. She shows us why a board loses the plot, nearly causes their company to collapse, and how they come through. We see the connection between a headteacher’s professional and personal loss. We understand seemingly unfathomable behaviour – why a man lets his organisation push him around, a lawyer becomes paranoid, a team repeatedly creates scapegoats, and founders of a literary agency feud.
At a time when we are re-thinking the workplace, ALL THAT WE ARE shows that by taking human nature seriously, we can build more humane organisations where people and their work can thrive.
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Reviews
This powerful, sensitive and timely book reveals what really happens within and between people at work. The emotional life of individuals and teams is often underestimated, but Gabriella Braun's insightful understanding demonstrates that we do indeed bring 'all that we are' to work. She shows that taking human nature seriously, including unconscious elements, makes all the difference to the health of our organisations and our lives at work. I wholeheartedly recommend this book
ALL THAT WE ARE is full of empathy and understanding, showing us that we cannot leave who we are behind when it comes to our working life. A sensitive and timely exploration into what is needed in order to create a more compassionate, positive and healthy workplace
So many books about organisational behaviour are dry or formulaic. Some are interesting, but they are rarely a joy to read. In ALL THAT WE ARE, Gabriella Braun digs deep to show us the unconscious patterns that shape our lives at work. The result is not just fascinating. It's gripping.
Essential reading for anyone who's ever felt rattled by workplace dynamics and a powerful reminder that we can't separate our emotional worlds from work
This insightful book offers a compelling set of stories about the emotional costs of working in high-pressured organisations. It provides psychoanalytic and psychosocial understandings of the difficulties experienced by individuals and groups in a variety of organisational and work settings. The book engages the reader from beginning to end with its profound insights, offering valuable lessons on how to survive and even thrive authentically in the workplace
The importance of this book cannot be underestimated. Whilst Gabriella writes with great insight and compassion about our mental health at work, the implications of her research go far deeper and wider. It is time for us all to pay close attention to our inner worlds and respect those of others. Hopefully education and healthcare may also benefit from the wisdom in this book for a more human and caring society
ALL THAT WE ARE takes as its starting point the fact that we, as humans, are messy and imperfect - especially when working together. This is not a book of easy answers and happy endings. It is about the difficult conversations and how to have them. These vignettes make a persuasive case for the catalysing effect of self-understanding
Braun is an exceptional writer and storyteller. The book is a wonderful contribution to the field of understanding workplaces through stories informed by psychoanalysis, and practised by a consultant who is psychoanalytically attuned
This is a timely and important book. Gabriella Braun has a wealth of experience using psychoanalytic and systemic thinking to consult to a broad range of organisations. Drawing on this experience she has written an informative and accessible book that is a pleasure to read. No prior knowledge is assumed and she distills complex ideas into everyday language that the reader can apply to their work environment, deepening their understanding of what is going on below the surface in terms of relationships and group processes. I warmly welcome this book and highly recommend it.
As too much of the writing in the mental health field is full of gobbledygook, it is very refreshing to read Gabriella Braun's book about the human dynamics of the workplace. This easily assessable book provides much insight about the behaviour of leaders and teams. And what's more, captured by her stories, we are gently taken on a journey that will help us better understand our own inner theatre, thus making us more effective in our day-to-day life.
In ALL THAT WE ARE, Gabriella Braun weaves together a highly thoughtful, deeply sensitive and compelling account about the underlying motivations behind people's behaviour at work. Through case studies and her own personal stories she brings to light the struggles, confusions and conflicts embedded in organisations, but throughout she brings her deep humanity, insight and kindness. Beautifully written, it tells us what it means to be human at work
An important book for all managers and leaders who care about their people and organisations. Braun elegantly illustrates in compelling case narratives the systemic, relational and hidden dynamics in workplaces that we all can pay attention to
A remarkable book ... it will move you and awaken a new respect for your colleagues and even your employer ... Braun moves effortlessly between memoir and professional insights and the result is - like all workplace dramas - gripping
ALL THAT WE ARE is without doubt one of the most important books about the workplace ever published. It lays bare the profound emotional context we all bring to work and how to resolve inner conflicts with colleagues, and indeed ourselves
Gabriella's masterly use of stories draws us into workplace dilemmas that will resonate with many readers. Like a true master of her craft she uses curiosity, reflection and her deep understanding of psychoanalysis to unravel the complexities of human interactions. Illuminating, intriguing and hopeful. I hope it's used widely to help organisations to become emotionally healthy workplaces
Excellent ... for anyone committed to understanding and changing organisations this is a must read. This is a book I wish I had written
Such a compassionate and discerning book. This rich work weaves in Gabriella Braun's own intriguing journey and psychodynamic theory. It has the potential to make organisations and teams more thoughtful about why they struggle and deserves a wide audience
ALL THAT WE ARE is a fascinating examination of the unconscious human processes that operate in team working environments. Through a series of unflinching yet compassionate case studies, as well as reflections on her own experiences of analysis, Gabriella illustrates a wealth of knowledge and expertise, illuminating just how powerful the application of psychoanalytic techniques can be in our professional as well as personal lives. A stunning book and a must-read for anyone interested in psychology, our working lives, or simply what it means to be human
ALL THAT WE ARE is a fascinating and insightful book that delves deep into how we can improve our time at work: as bosses, managers and colleagues. But more than this, it shows us how we can create a more compassionate and kind society at large. A must read!
A delight. Refreshing and inspiring, healing even. I love how Gabriella portrays systems psychodynamic ideas put to work, with little jargon and a lot of humanity. Unlike many books in the field, ALL THAT WE ARE shows the work rather than talk about it, with a balance of depth and immediacy ... I will be recommending it to our community of consultants and coaches at INSEAD
A fascinating book which digs into the truths behind our workplace behaviour
These days, we're told that we should bring our whole selves to work. But who and what are we really bringing? Far more than we realise: our unspoken ambitions, our unknown fears and the family conflicts we thought we'd left behind. With her vast experience, hard-won insights and illuminating case studies, Gabriella Braun tells us what's really happening in that theatrical production we call work - and how we can give it a happier ending