You, Me, We

Why We All Need a Friend at Work (and How to Show Up As One!)

Morag Barrett, Eric Spencer, Ruby Vesely

Every Batman needs a Robin: Move from me to we with the Ally Mindset.

In today’s age of Zoom calls and hybrid workplaces, how can leaders foster relationships that allow everyone to succeed? A trio of best friends and leadership consultants at SkyeTeam have the surprising answer: workplace success starts by being a friend.

Meet the Ally Mindset, a model for proactive, thoughtful work relationships. As you heal adversarial relationships and strengthen weaker ties, you’ll find that when you have best friends at work—colleagues who have your back—you thrive. Using personal stories, science-backed insights, and valuable lessons from clients including Google, the National Geographic Society, and Microsoft, the authors explore the five key parts of the Ally Mindset and demonstrate how to apply them to your relationships.

You, Me, We provides ample evidence for how adopting the Ally Mindset increases happiness, incentivizes collaboration, and improves business outcomes. Because to have a best friend at work, you need to be a best friend at work.

Reviews

“We all want happiness, collaboration, and business success—and the bedrock that makes this possible at work is having deep, high-quality professional relationships. You, Me, We provides a powerful framework for making intentional decisions about how we connect. Follow this recipe and your work life (and the work lives of those around you) will change in a big way!”

Dorie Clark Wall Street Journal–bestselling author of The Long Game and executive education professor, Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business

“In a world of social isolation, emotional malaise, and political toxicity, this book offers hope. The Ally Mindset (moving from me to we) is not only a set of good ideas, but also specific actions that foster relationships. The simplest test of an effective leader is how often people leave an interaction with them feeling better about themselves. This great book will help make that happen.”

Dave Ulrich Rensis Likert professor, University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and partner at The RBL Group

“Relationships with our colleagues are a key source of engagement and satisfaction, and building strong ones has never been more important, or more challenging. That’s why I strongly recommend You, Me, We. It lays out the practices for building an Ally Mindset, which can make every day you spend at work more rewarding.”

Sally Helgesen author of How Women Rise, The Web of Inclusion, and The Female Advantage

“One of the best things a leader can do for their people, especially during turbulent times, is to make sure they have a best friend at work. You, Me, We is the guide to make it happen.”

Mark Goulston MD, author of Just Listen and member of Marshall Goldsmith 100 Coaches

“We know that one of the characteristics of an engaged employee is one who is excited about opportunities to learn and grow at work—and feels as if they belong. Learning and growing happens more effectively in organizations with inclusive cultures. You, Me, We provides the road map we all need to look up, show up, and step up and build the ally relationships, the friendships, that ensure success for the long term—for employees, and for the business.”

Pamay Bassey chief learning and diversity officer of Kraft Heinz and author of Let’s Learn Our Way Through It, Shall We?

“This insightful and practical book will help you navigate the world of work whether you are working in-office, remotely, or in hybrid mode. By creating an Ally Mindset, and by establishing close work friendships, you can favorably impact your well-being, and contribute to both your own personal effectiveness as well as the success of your organization.”

Peter Warwick president and CEO of Scholastic Inc.

LESS

Morag Barrett, CEO of SkyeTeam, is an accomplished keynote speaker, leadership development expert, and Dr. Marshall Goldsmith Top 100 Coach who has supported more than 15,000 leaders from 20 countries and on six continents. She held leadership positions in the finance and telecommunications industries before founding boutique leadership development firm SkyeTeam in 2007. The bestselling author of Cultivate: The Power of Winning Relationships and The Future-Proof Workplace, Morag is a contributor to Entrepreneur.com, CIO.com, and the American Management Association. She has been featured in Inc.com, Business Insider, HR.com and others. Morag is a recognized business coach for the Corporate Coach University and Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development in the UK. She lives in Broomfield, Colorado.

Eric Spencer COO for SkyeTeam, has more than 20 years of experience building and shaping human resources organizations, and delivering HR and leadership development programs for organizations ranging from startups to Fortune 100 companies. Prior to joining SkyeTeam, Eric served in leadership capacities at P3 Group, Local Matters, Level 3 Communications, and Target Corporation. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Management from Arizona State University and an MBA with a focus in Organizational Behavior from Virginia Tech. He lives in Arvada, Colorado.

Ruby Vesely CSO for SkyeTeam, is a sought-out executive coach, and savvy leadership development expert with over 20 years of experience in a variety of industries and organizations. She has an MS in organizational leadership from Regis University and is a certified executive coach. Ruby has served various nonprofits, currently working with her local homeless outreach organization (H.O.P.E.), serving as street outreach team member, board member, and fundraising team leader. She lives in Longmont, Colorado.

ISBN 978-1-77458-203-9
$32.00 CAD • $26.95 USD
Published October 18, 2022

5.5 x 8.5 • 304 Pages
Hardcover, ebook, audiobook