The Journey of Not Knowing

How 21st Century Leaders Can Chart a Course Where There Is None

By: Julie Benezet

Narrated by: Karen White

Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

“The Journey of Not Knowing beautifully breaks the business book mold and should be required reading for leaders…It uses a cleverly constructed parable to demonstrate how to navigate business uncertainty. In modern business, one of the most significant challenges leaders face is moving an organization forward even when the answers to critical questions may be unknown. Coping with “not knowing” is the theme of Benezet’s expertly written book.” —Foreword Clarion Reviews

“Benezet offers a management handbook geared toward the unconventional in the modern business world...[She] makes crystalline sense; for example, she writes relatively early on that it’s more important than ever for managers to know themselves—to know...“who you are and for what you stand” in a world of shifting expectations and constantly looming unknowns. This idea is related to the “core drivers” of her book, concentrated in the “core four” components...that deal with “the relationship between leadership and the unknown.”...In her explorations of these components, Benezet is at her most authoritative. A largely involving story-oriented breakdown of how to chart a steady managerial course in uncharted territory.” —Kirkus Reviews

“…This book contains many jewels on how one deals with making decisions based on uncertain information. Despite the ubiquitous reliance on data collection and analysis, many business decisions are still based on a form of intuition...The most important thing is to have the courage to act on those beliefs rather than playing it safe and eventually sorry.” —Charles Ashbacher

“Ms. Benezet’s background in psychology, anthropology, the law, and her business experience coalesce into a single, multi-dimensional book that also shows off her gift of storytelling...The description of the Journey of Not Knowing model...was a remarkable compendium of basic truths about working within complex organizations...” —Ken Majer, Midwest Book Review

The Journey of Not Knowing offers a fast paced, entertaining read that gets to the heart of a critical state in today’s business climate and society overall: the constantly changing, ambiguous 21st Century with uncharted waters ahead. This book offers a new leadership approach that will inspire leaders of any size organization to view the discomfort of the new as a source of adventure rather than an obstacle to building a better future. Through the vehicle of a story about an eight-member leadership team of a fictional company, The Journey of Not Knowing follows the defended behaviors of its recognizable characters through their efforts to avoid and then solve the mystery of why a client fired them. The reward of the discovery is a critical piece of business and significant personal growth. The book opens with an experience of the author as an executive in Amazon’s early days and ends with the Journey of Not Knowing leadership model.

©2017 Business Growth Consulting, LLC / Produced by Blackstone Audio, Inc. (P)2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Strong start!

I loved the personal experience the author shared. I wasn’t as much interested in hearing the story example.

Essential lessons in leadership for today's world.

I was hooked from the beginning by the premise that not knowing--and being energized by the unknown---are the essential challenges of leadership. I was held engaged by the author's personal story, her ability to draw broadly applicable lressons from her experience, and by the narrator's vivid, lively narrative style.

Title is Much Better Than Book

This former Amazon employee’s story really shows no meaningful insights about the company or the human condition. I found it insipid and pointless.