Dr Rowan Kessler
organisational psychologist
Warm and research-minded; values trust over control
The Promotion
Her best friend applied for the same job. Over two years Leah learns feedback, delegation and fairness, and — when cuts arrive — how to tell someone she cares about that their job is at risk without abandoning either the process or the friendship.
Planned · not started yet
Work & careers Ambition Ethics & integrity Belonging Workplace Tense Lightly witty
The premise
Her best friend applied for the same job. Over two years Leah learns feedback, delegation and fairness, and — when cuts arrive — how to tell someone she cares about that their job is at risk without abandoning either the process or the friendship.
The protagonist
Leah Mbatha — Claims handler promoted to manage the team she was part of
The council
Every council member is an original fictional character. None represents, quotes or is endorsed by a real person.
Gordon Ashby-Nwosu
operations director
Blunt and results-first; distrusts “soft” talk
Tamsin Cradock
HR business partner
Process-careful; protects the organisation and the people
Prof. Lionel Okafor-Greene
communication scholar
Precise about language; hears what is not said
How the story moves
Two years of the team’s life; the friendship bends, breaks and partly mends, and Leah ends the series a different kind of manager than she intended to be.
What readers take away
- Setting expectations and running one-to-ones
- Giving and receiving feedback
- Delegation and accountability
- Building psychological safety
- Managing underperformance fairly
- Structuring difficult conversations
- Handling conflict between staff
- Running a fair consultation and selection process
- Managing your own stress as a manager
- Write objectives that are specific and measurable
- Run a return-to-work conversation after absence
- Recognise signs of stress in a team
The books
- 1Monday Planned
- 2Feedback Planned
- 3Delegation Planned
- 4The underperformer Planned
- 5The cuts Planned
- 6A year on Planned
Book titles are working titles and may change before publication. No book is on sale until the complete series is finished, checked and released.