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Pause

How to Lead Brilliant Work in a Busy World
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Pause

By: Shawn Vanderhoven
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Pre-order for $19.04

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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

Sometimes the fastest way forward starts with a pause.

In our hyper-paced world, today’s teams face relentless demands, endless distractions and intense pressure to deliver more with fewer resources and in less time. Overwhelmed with an endless stream of tasks and the constant ping of emails, our workplaces leave our teams buried in chaos, while we as managers unintentionally scatter our employees’ efforts with unclear priorities and the pressure to overcommit.

Now, in Pause, speaker and consultant Shawn Vanderhoven turns conventional thinking about productivity and leadership on its head. Drawing from the latest research and real-world insights from top-performing teams at industry giants like Amazon, Google and LinkedIn, Vanderhoven reveals that the most effective leaders don’t chase action for action’s sake. Instead, they pause.

In Pause, Vanderhoven explores how to effectively filter out all the noise - from magnifying what matters most by identifying truly urgent tasks to buffering out busy through reducing common distractions like excessive emails - so your team can finally focus on the right priorities at the right time.

Pause is the counterintuitive approach to productivity you need, to unlock your team’s highest potential through slowing down.

© Shawn Vanderhoven 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

 Career Success Leadership Management & Leadership Organisational Behaviour Personal Development Personal Success Time Management Time Management & Productivity Workplace & Organisational Behaviour
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Critic Reviews

You can't get your team's attention if you yourself are driven to distraction. Vanderhoven gives you the tools you need to focus on the things that matter. Essential!
I’ve spent years writing about the power of questions. But for good questions to make a difference, there needs to be space to hear them. This is the book you need to create that space.
This book isn't just a theory. Shawn did the work to find out what leaders are doing to lead great work instead of driving teams to burnout.
Shawn Vanderhoven names something every overwhelmed professional feels but often can't articulate: the invisible wake of digital detritus that managers mindlessly create for their teams. Pause is a sharp, research-backed argument for why the best leaders tap the brakes - and a clear guide for how to do it without losing momentum. Read it before your next meeting, and then cancel half the meetings on your calendar.
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