The August office is overflowing with bright green books. Our social feeds are filled with friends, colleagues, and heroes sharing congrats.
It might be cheesy to say that our book on teamwork has been a team effort, but it’s the truth, and we had a blast celebrating with folks at our launch party. Pals, family, friends, clients…the room was full of people who genuinely believe in our mission.
With this book, our ideas about how to help teams meet the moment are trickling out to those who need them most.
One of my college friends just let me know the book inspired them to change a principle into an Even Over.
Another friend reached out to say they said the phrase “Safe to Try” for the first time.
Just a few days ago, a client picked up the book during a workshop, read the first 30 pages, and decided to buy it for their whole business unit.
My ambition has always been for the book to resonate, but the joy these moments have given me is unparalleled. It’s so gratifying when someone reads it and goes, “Huh. This makes sense to me.”
Imagining a little web of folks out there who are picking up our book, reading it, and integrating the practices into their daily life…that’s the biggest joy of all.
We see the impact of our work in board rooms and workshops, but being able to scale and spread August and our practices beyond those spaces is what this book is all about.
And it’s working.
To everyone who has supported this launch—THANK YOU for propelling us onto the Amazon charts. We did it! Thank you x1000.
I can’t wait to hear what you think of the book. My goal is that it can become a puzzle piece in your world—something that fits in, adds value, and fills out the picture of what you need to know to make work work.
Karina Mangu-Ward
Partner, August Public
P.S.If you’ve already read the book, it would mean a lot if you left an honest review over on Amazon or wherever you purchased it!
5 Ways High-Performing Teams Stay Calm When Everything’s on Fire 🔥
Authored by our very own Karina Mangu-Ward, this article is for teams that are trying to stay steady while everything around them feels urgent or chaotic.
How 19 HR Leaders Define Psychological Safety at Work 🛟
We know psych safety is a key element of a healthy workplace. But what does it look like in practice? Forbes compiled these helpful insights from real HR leaders.
Made-Up Corporate Buzzwords To Confuse Everyone At Work 😂
We’ve all had that feeling of corporate buzzword fatigue. This hilarious Instagram post takes that cliche and offers some new, painfully relatable phrases to add to your day.
5 Ways High-Performing Teams Stay Calm When Everything’s on Fire 🔥
Authored by our very own Karina Mangu-Ward, this article is for teams that are trying to stay steady while everything around them feels urgent or chaotic.
How 19 HR Leaders Define Psychological Safety at Work 🛟
We know psych safety is a key element of a healthy workplace. But what does it look like in practice? Forbes compiled these helpful insights from real HR leaders.
Made-Up Corporate Buzzwords To Confuse Everyone At Work 😂
We’ve all had that feeling of corporate buzzword fatigue. This hilarious Instagram post takes that cliche and offers some new, painfully relatable phrases to add to your day.
Today’s tip is this section's namesake…Safe To Try! A core principle that’s featured in Teams That Meet The Moment, STT will help your team accelerate decision-making.
What it is: A consent-based decision method that prioritizes progress over perfection. It integrates dissenting perspectives without derailing the progress, rather than defaulting to consensus or having only one person make the decision.
How to implement it: When your team has a decision to make, the operative phrase of the process is “Are there any objections?”
Rather than waiting until everyone agrees, a decision is STT as long as no one objects on the grounds that the decision will cause immediate and irreparable harm.
By moving from 100% alignment to disagree and commit, teams decide faster, test more ideas, and learn from real-world data. For more on how to integrate STT into your team, check out Chapter 6 of the book.
SAFE TO TRY
Quick tips to start changing how your team works
Today’s tip is this section's namesake…Safe To Try! A core principle that’s featured in Teams That Meet The Moment, STT will help your team accelerate decision-making.
What it is: A consent-based decision method that prioritizes progress over perfection. It integrates dissenting perspectives without derailing the progress, rather than defaulting to consensus or having only one person make the decision.
How to implement it: When your team has a decision to make, the operative phrase of the process is “Are there any objections?”
Rather than waiting until everyone agrees, a decision is STT as long as no one objects on the grounds that the decision will cause immediate and irreparable harm.
By moving from 100% alignment to disagree and commit, teams decide faster, test more ideas, and learn from real-world data. For more on how to integrate STT into your team, check out Chapter 6 of the book.
This is a newsletter about teaming. Real teaming. The everyday, unglamorous, transformative kind that actually moves organizations and people forward in a world that never sits still. In it, you’ll find stories, insights, and practices about the beautiful mess of modern work. You’ll also get an exclusive look at Teams That Meet The Moment, coming May 2026.
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