"Then it just hit me. WE INVESTED IN ONE SOLUTION AFTER ANOTHER." She started counting with her fingers and said emphatically, "A new function, not the answer. New technology, not the answer. A huge internal marketing campaign, not the answer. Best-in-class training, not the answer. Each one of them was a FALSE SOLUTION."
A leadership parable about the seduction of swift action and the harder work of seeing the full picture clearly, False Solutions follows Relay's COO Swati Arora and her fellow executives as they decide the only way back on top is through big strategic bets-keeping one foot in today's reality and putting the other on the moon. But as nothing they try sticks, Swati is left managing the fallout. It isn't until a conversation with an old friend and a moment of inspiration that Swati sees what she's been missing the whole time.
Written by an organizational design expert, False Solutions resonates with any business leader who has built the right strategy and watched it fail anyway. It offers a new way to see the problem so you don't make the same mistake twice.
Praise for False Solutions
"A terrific read that helps you get to the next big breakthrough for growth... and it's not what you think!"
-Melanie Dulbecco, CEO at Torani Syrups & Flavors, advocate for purpose-driven business
"False Solutions gets at something every experienced leader has seen and, if we're being candid, probably done ourselves. Nenuca has a gift for taking the complexity of transformation and making it remarkably human."
-David B. Gillan, chief customer officer and strategic advisor, Healthcare
"Captures a challenge many of us have witnessed and provides a compelling, practical framework for delivering sustainable business outcomes."
-Alvaro (Al) Monserrat, private equity partner and former tech CEO
"Nenuca is brilliant at what makes change stick. False Solutions will train you to see differently and execute correctly."
-SC Moatti, managing partner of Mighty Capital, board chair of Products That Count
"Served up within a fresh and contemporary parable, Nenunca reminds us of our duty as leaders and provides a powerful-but-practical frame- work for every leader aiming to drive genuine, humane transformation."
-Jason M. Osterhage, president and CEO of Everwise, fintech advisor, board director
"Essential reading for all leaders, False Solutions challenges you to take a brave, deeper look at what has previously driven success but may now actually be holding your business back."
-Caroline Jessen, Healthtech chief people officer
"A must-read that distills one of the most important lessons leaders can learn... Makes organization design phenomenally vivid and accessible."
-Justin Lokitz, bestselling author of Design A Better Business
"Powerful and realistic for any leader trying to drive performance under uncertainty, False Solutions turns learning into action and success."
-Chris Collins, professor of Strategic Human Resources at Cornell University
"A fast, engaging read that exposes what most leaders never see... An immediately actionable resource."
-Greg Troiano, Biopharma C-Suite leader
"If your people aren't executing as hoped, read this sticky, recognizable, and usable story before you draw any conclusions."
-Johan Wiklund, distinguished professor and Al Berg chair in Entrepreneurship at Syracuse University