Future of Work Expert, Keynote Speaker, NY Times Bestselling Author - Dan Schawbel

Future of Work Expert, Keynote Speaker, NY Times Bestselling Author - Dan Schawbel

Back to Human: How Great Leaders Create Connection in the Age of Isolation

“A practical guide for leaders to stop using technology as a crutch and start building genuine connections with their teams.”

―Adam Grant,  New York Times Bestselling author of Give And Take

Washington Post bestseller & A Financial Times Business Book of the Month

Back to Human explains how a more socially connected workforce creates greater fulfillment, productivity, and engagement while preventing burnout and turnover. New York Times bestselling author Dan Schawbel guides the next generation of leaders to create a workplace where teammates feel genuinely connected, engaged, and empowered to grow strong interpersonal skills rather than relying on technology. Based on Schawbel’s exclusive research studies–featuring the perspectives of over 2,000 managers and employees across different age groups and from the US, UK, China, India, Brazil and other countries–Back to Human reveals why electronic and virtual communication, though vital and useful, actually contributes to a stronger sense of isolation at work than ever before. The corporate cultures we are experiencing right now need to change, and Schawbel offers a new leadership model featuring The Work-Life Balance Myth (we should consider work-life integration instead, which creates more synergies between all areas of your life and puts you in control of how you allocate your time), Shared Learning (how sharing knowledge allows you to stay relevant despite industry disruptions), and more. The book includes:

  • Interviews with 100 leaders from notable companies including Facebook, Honeywell, HBO, Starbucks, General Mills, GE, Nike, American Express, Four Seasons, Walmart, TIME, LinkedIn, and The U.S. Air Force.
  • A self-assessment called “The Work Connectivity Index” that measures that strength of team relationships.
  • Exercises, examples and activities that readers can work on individually, or as a team, which will help them improve their leadership skills.
  • Tips and strategies on how to increase personal productivity, be more

Order the book

Order Back to Human from the following retailers:

The Millennial 100

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When researching for the book, Dan Schawbel interviewed 100 of the top young global leaders to learn about how they manage technology and connect with their teammates. This select group, called The Millennial 100 or #M100, represents some of the most notable companies in the world including Starbucks, Walmart, Facebook, Google, Johnson & Johnson, Warber Parker and Nike.

Take the WCI

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The Work Connectivity Index (WCI) is a self-assessment that measures the strength of your relationships at work. Take the assessment to get your connectivity score and read Back to Human to learn how you can improve your score to be more fulfilled and successful at work!

Enroll in the Online Course

linkedin learning

Dan Schawbel partnered with LinkedIn Learning and Lynda to create a video course based on Back to Human called “Emerging Leader Foundations.” The course is about 50 minutes in length and was created to help you build stronger relationships with your teammates.

Comedy Sketch

Recognition

Tweets From Leaders

Media Coverage

Media reviews

“At a time of increasing technological and virtual interaction, Schawbel’s practical book provides a thoughtful model of connected human leadership.”
―Forbes

“The purpose of his book is to show how to reach the same dopamine hits through fulfilment and feedback at work, as we get from “likes” on a Facebook post.”
―The Financial Times

“Back to Human provides insider scoops on what successful contemporary leaders are doing to stay connected, self-assessments that help you understand ways in which you can improve your connections, and scenarios and sample dialogues that ring true to what today’s leaders should be doing to enhance connection and communication within their teams and beyond their organizations.”
―Psychology Today

“Provides insight into how changes to corporate culture have created a stressful and isolating environment for employees, and what managers can do to revitalize staff and create functional teams. This book is written for leaders looking to create a more interactive workplace using empathy and communication. Overall, Schawbel’s latest provides context for the changes in corporate culture that have developed as more generations are working alongside one another. Recommended to business professionals seeking to manage a corporate culture that provides a work-life balance to its staff.”
―Library Journal

“A book which aims to help leaders build stronger team relationships amid our dependency on technology.”
―Refinery29

“Helps readers figure out where and how to start reconnecting with their team.”
―Publishers Weekly

“In Back to Human, Dan Schawbel finds that the antidote for our overly automated age is deeper personal relationships. Things like trust, empathy and caring can’t be automated or outsourced.”
 ― INC.

“Explores the many challenges of forgetting that you are not working with human resources—you are working with human beings. And human beings crave belonging, purpose, trust, and connectivity with their colleagues and leaders.”
―The Boston Globe

“Designed to help the next generation of leaders become more effective. It offers tips and strategies on how to hire effectively, increase productivity, grow strong interpersonal skills, be more collaborative, and become more fulfilled at work without relying on technology.”
―TD Magazine

“Technology offers interminable power and potential. Dan Schawbel vividly shows, though, the detrimental effect it can have on human relationships and offers ways to course correct by fostering genuine connections. Asserting that it’s leaders who must create workplaces in which teams feel genuinely connected, engaged and empowered without relying on technology, Back to Human ultimately helps readers choose when and how to use technology at work, if for no other reason than because more socially connected workforces are decidedly more engaged, productive and fulfilled.”
―SHRM

“In his book, Back to Human, Schawbel offer leaders three tips to promote open communication. First, make everyone commit to being open and accessible. Second, champion real-time feedback. Finally, share priorities. It increases the chances of accomplishing them and encourages the team to get on board.”
―PR WEEK

Testimonials

“Dan Schawbel offers a searching examination of the role technology plays in our lives and how our overreliance on gadgets is deepening our sense of isolation. ButBack to Human is also a hopeful book, one that provides a prescription for change for leaders and anyone else interested in doing better.”
―Daniel H. Pink, author of When and To Sell is Human

“Elevating humanity through business is the purpose of Conscious Capitalism. Back to Human is a welcomed reminder of the interdependencies that exist across all human stakeholders, and that workplace cultures must be trusting, authentic, innovative and caring so that working there is a source of both personal growth and professional fulfillment.”
―John Mackey, co-founder and CEO, Whole Foods Market; co-author of Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business

“Our brain grew in size in order to process our complex social needs, yet we are evolving into a society that devalues human interaction. Dan’s insights will ensure you use all your neurons offered by evolution.”
―Mehmet Oz, MD, Professor of Surgery, Columbia University, Host, The Dr. Oz Show

“A fun, thoughtful read, but more important, a truly useful book. Back to Human provides concrete solutions for many of the 21st century challenges that shape how we work and live.”
― General (Ret.) Stanley McChrystal, New York Times bestselling author of Team of Teams

“Dan will help you put your damn phone in your pocket, look people in the eye, and build actual human relationships at work. You’ll be stunned at the difference this makes in your career–and in your life.” ― Kim Scott, New York Times bestselling author of Radical Candor

“Back to Human is the definitive guide to connecting in an era where doing so is increasingly difficult. It is one of the best collections of voices and research that will help leaders to create a more cohesive and compelling workplace.”
― Tom Rath, #1 New York Times bestselling author of StrengthFinder 2.0

“In Back to Human, Dan Schawbel reminds us that our humanity must never take a backseat to new technology– driverless or otherwise. And that progress is found in the connection of humans working together creatively in pursuit of better.”
― Beth Comstock, Former Vice Chair, GE

“In Back to Human, Dan Schawbel challenges us to put down our phones and start investing in deeper relationships. That’s a message we all need to hear.”
― Dan Heath, co-author of the New York Times bestsellers, The Power of Moments, Made to Stick, Switch, and Decisive

“I recommend Back to Human to any leader who wants to create a higher quality of life for their team. Schawbel explains how to build the human connections that are critical to personal and organizational success. Regardless of advancements in technology, the human touch will remain and this book will help you create stronger relationships that lead to higher performance and happiness.”
― Michel Landel, CEO of Sodexo

“Technology may have accelerated the pace of change, but it hasn’t erased the need for business basics. In Back to Human, Dan Schawbel offers expert advice on overcoming technology’s shortcomings and refocusing on the true building blocks for business success: relationships, collaboration and getting the job done. A must-read for all leaders.”
― Ron Shaich, Founder and Chairman of Panera Bread

“Back to Human shows how modern technologies have made our work lives unfulfilled. In this provocative and insightful book, Dan Schawbel demands our interactions to be more human and less machine and provides a practical guide on how to achieve this. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to become a more effective leader in today’s workplace.”
― W. Chan Kim, The BCG Professor of Strategy at INSEAD and New York Times bestselling author of Blue Ocean Shift

“In his brilliantly researched new book, Back to Human, Dan Schawbel provides the deepest, most insightful analysis of how we can restore humanity and authentic connections to the workplace in this technology age: with leaders who build highly motivated, collaborative teams that create healthy, productive workplaces. It is a must read for all who care about making work fulfilling.”
― Bill George, Senior Fellow, Harvard Business School, former Chair & CEO of Medtronic, and author of Discover Your True North

“Communication is Leadership. That’s what leadership is: Communication. Back to Human brilliantly coaches us in successfully making technology and our devices cause us to be better leaders and communicators rather than worse ones.”
― Kip Tindell, co-founder, Chairman and former CEO, The Container Store

“Back to Human is a valuable read for any leader desirous of a more collaborative and productive workforce. By following Dan’s advice, we can enjoy stronger team relationships that lead to stronger business results.”
― Bert Jacobs, co-founder and Chief Executive Optimist, Life is Good 

“There are books on productivity that ignore practical lessons, and books with checklists that ignore the ‘why’. But what if there was a research-based book chock full of highly relevant exercises that can help anyone become more effective at work? Look no further: Back to Human is loaded with practical insights that won’t only help you get better on the job, but will also give you pause to think about how to live the life you really want to.”
― Sydney Finkelstein, Dartmouth professor and bestselling author of Superbosses and Why Smart Executives Fail 

“Back to Human provides practical back to basics on how to become a better leader. Good insights coupled with good advice. Well done!”
― David Novak, Former Chairman and CEO of YUM! Brands

“In Colonial times, Samuel Adams and his fellow revolutionaries met in taverns and planned the American Revolution over a beer or two. Back to Human leads us to recapture those essential human interactions–conversation, communication, collaboration, and common passion. If you want to brew up your own Revolution, this book by Dan Schawbel is an excellent guide. Cheers!”
― Jim Koch, founder & brewer of Samuel Adams and author of Quench Your Own Thirst: Business Lessons Learned Over a Beer or Two 

“Dan has written a meaningful neo classic. He reinforces the human need for fulfillment and shows that most technology limits this important connection. When applied, his ideas will help people find meaningful connections that increase both personal well-being and work productivity.”
― Dave Ulrich, coauthor of the New York Times bestseller The Why of Work, Rensis Likert Professor, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan

“If leaders want to create stronger connections with their teams, they must read Back to Human. Schawbel’s message of encouraging more human connection, instead of relying on technology, will become more relevant over time.”
― Howard Behar, former president of Starbucks

“A very timely book on a subject the world needs to pay attention to!” ― Gary Keller, founder of Keller Williams Realty International, New York Times bestselling author of The ONE Thing

“Technology makes a wonderful servant but a terrible master. Unfortunately, over time it has progressed from the former to the latter and in many ways has created both business and personal havoc. Fortunately, one of the sharpest minds in the business world today, Dan Schawbel, has once again stepped up to the plate and shared his immense wisdom with us! Not only has he identified the problem, he has systematically provided the solutions to help leaders create a culture and environment where their team members can enjoy and thrive in their work. This is a book that every leader – that every person – should own, devour, and keep by their desk for handy reference.”
― Bob Burg, coauthor of The Go-Giver and The Go-Giver Influencer

“If you can only buy one book this year to enhance your relationships and build your career or business, BACK TO HUMAN is the one. Grounded in valid research, Back To Human is a compendium of strategies, ideas and practical exercises and advice from numerous leaders that work.”
― Susan RoAne, Speaker and Author of How To Work a Room and Face To Face: Reclaiming the Personal Touch

“Defining a new age with clarity and research.”
― Jay Shetty

“There is so much useful advice in here. It’s a great book of techniques, activities and excercizes and tests. It’s really important not just for work life but for home life.” 
― James Altucher

“Provides a compelling and evidence-based argument for the importance of old-fashioned, non-technological interaction in leading successful teams.”
― Cal Newport

“BacktoHuman helps you decide how to use tech to build better connections in your work life. It is a call to action to leaders to make the workplace a better experience for all of us.”
― Brian Solis