Drawing on its authors' extensive experience as founders, executives, mentors, and coaches, this management and leadership book is more than a book—it is a comprehensive guide to mastering the art of leadership in the business world.

Management is a tough job, and having to be a leader day in and day out can be difficult.

Whether you're grappling with the intricacies of effective leadership, mastering the art of delegation, or striving to foster a culture of inclusivity, this management book for leaders has you covered.

In this manual, readers will dive into practical strategies and actionable advice, including:

• Delegating to get results
• Getting your team to make effective decisions
• Running meetings that make people want to go to meetings
• Communicating proactively and with clarity
• Providing actionable feedback and becoming a feedback magnet
• Creating inclusive work environments

Sara Hicks and Mathias Meyer's expertise spans the spectrum, from launching and scaling successful startups like Reactions Commerce and Travis CI to holding executive positions at industry giants like Mailchimp and Intuit. Through their coaching, consulting, and advising roles, they've honed their approach to building organizations that prioritize people and foster growth.

The Intentional Organization is your roadmap to success. Let it guide you on the path to becoming a confident, effective leader who can navigate the complexities of business with grace and resilience.

From the book, The Intentional Organization:

"The key thing for leaders running an intentional organization to be aware of is the impact their actions have on the organization. That goes beyond how they behave when they're being challenged, when the company isn't reaching its goals, or in times of crisis. It includes everyday behaviors that include how they manage their team, work with people, make decisions, delegate, support struggling team members, and seek out and distribute feedback."

Sara Hicks has been a product leader at companies of all shapes and sizes, serving as vice president of product management at Yahoo!, Etsy, and Media Temple (to name a few!), until she eventually founded her own company, Reaction Commerce, where she served as CEO. She eventually sold the business to Mailchimp, where she took on the role of vice president of product, then as chief product officer, all the way through a subsequent acquisition by Intuit. These days, Sara lives in Los Angeles, California.

Mathias Meyer is an executive coach, repeat startup founder, writer, and aspiring horticulturist. He lives in Berlin, where he's cofounded several companies and now supports other founders and executives of businesses in all shapes and sizes in their challenges of scaling their teams and themselves. As a former CEO and CTO, he grew several companies and teams, all of them remote and distributed across the globe, from only a handful of folks to a successful exit, among them Scalarium (now Amazon), Travis CI (now Idera), and Reaction Commerce (now Intuit). Outside of the tech world and helping other businesses scale, Mathias enjoys being out in nature, tending to an ever-growing vegetable patch, and fermenting whatever vegetables he can get his hands on.

In 2022, Sara and Mathias launched a new business together where they work with leaders, executives, founders, and companies of all stages to confidently move through the challenges that building a business brings. At their company, The Intentional Organization, they serve as coaches, mentors, advisers, sparring partners, and facilitators.

"The Intentional Organization is a must-read for any leader committed to creating a thriving and humane workplace. This book is filled with practical advice and thoughtful reflections that guide leaders through the complexities of modern organizational management. Sara and Mathias have distilled their real-life experiences—their own struggles and challenges—into a clear, actionable framework that emphasizes intentionality, inclusion, and clarity. The emphasis on trust, psychological safety, and clear communication resonates deeply, offering leaders a pathway to build resilient and motivated teams. The Intentional Organization will guide you in transforming your organization into a place where people feel valued, heard, and empowered to achieve great things together and where better humans will make better leaders." — Jerry Colonna, author of Reboot: Leadership and the Art of Growing Up and Reunion

"Sara and Mathias distill years of experience into a thoughtful, deeply human framework for leadership. The Intentional Organization provides a thorough guide for anyone looking to create a workplace that fosters trust, clarity, and real collaboration." — Camille Fournier, author of The Manager's Path

"In a business landscape obsessed with hypergrowth and rapid scaling, this book dares to advocate for something revolutionary: building something that lasts. Through practical frameworks and honest reflection, Sara and Mathias demonstrate that true leadership isn't about driving your teams harder—it's about creating an environment where both people and profits can flourish sustainably—making this essential reading for anyone determined to develop teams and products that matter." — Jenny Herald, COO

"This is the book that you will pull off your shelf again and again. Sara and Mathias interweave actionable tactics, philosophy, and storytelling in ways that will be immediately useful to you in your leadership role. If you're looking to evolve your company with repeatable, human-centered processes that lead to success, this book is for you." — Lara Hogan, VP of engineering and author of Resilient Management

"It's so easy for senior leaders in dynamic organizations to fall into firefighter mode, always reacting to the crisis of the moment. The Intentional Organization is a powerful guide for breaking out of this cycle and leveling up by leading with clarity, purpose, and humanity. This isn't another book on management theory; it's a practical, down-to-earth handbook grounded in the real-world experience of the authors and the leaders they've coached. Covering essential topics like strategy, communication, trust, and change management, Sara and Mathias describe sensible best practices in plain language for how to approach the most difficult aspects of stewarding a healthy organization. Throughout the book, I found myself nodding along to their insights—recognizing hard-won truths from my own missteps and revelations as a leader, wishing I'd had this book much earlier in my career, and feeling inspired to implement their advice going forward. This is the guide every leader who wants to be more intentional should read—and return to repeatedly." — Gina Trapani, former CEO and startup founder

"This book will help build an internal intuition that fosters a stable and integral organization. It provides many tools, processes, and personal insights that are directly applicable to improving the lives of managers and, even more so, organization members. Reading it reflects how you, as a leader, show up. It challenges your thinking, norms, and biases—allowing you to engage with intention rather than in reaction." — Oddur Magnusson, CTO

"In an era dominated by relentless hustle, this book invites leaders to slow down and reflect on what truly matters. Through practical frameworks and insightful reflections, Sara and Mathias guide you in cultivating teams that thrive without burning out. This is the roadmap to building companies where everyone flourishes." — James Turnbull, CTO

"I adore this book. The Intentional Organization offers a compelling vision for a more humane and fulfilling workplace. Drawing on their extensive experience, Sara and Mathias guide leaders to cultivate clarity, inclusivity, and a culture of continuous learning. This book challenges leaders to confront difficult questions and encourages them to embrace their role in fostering a positive and supportive work environment. Through its insightful reflections and practical advice, The Intentional Organization provides a valuable roadmap for leaders seeking to create lasting change." — Andy Skipper, founder and chief coach at CTO Craft

"Startup founders move fast, but sustained growth takes structure. Sara and Mathias share founders perspectives on tactics that helped them both take companies to successful exits. A unique view on leadership best practices." — Christine Sandman Stone, advisor and author of The Modern Management Mentor

"This book is about sweating the small stuff—and for good reason. Sara and Mathias, both founders and CEOs with proven track records, offer a wealth of been there, done that' insights. Their practical frameworks and real-world guidance make this book stand out as an invaluable resource for leaders at any level." — Maria Thomas, CEO Sunday Health