All the Difference: Six Leadership Actions to Bridge Perspectives, Strengthen Teams, and Create Value
Susan MacKenty Brady, Stuart D. Kilman, and Leslie C. Smith
Harvard Business Review Press (July 2026)

Together, we can achieve what any one of us cannot, faster and better.

In one of his first letters to Corinth, Saint Paul shares his thoughts about “many parts, one body.” I was again reminded of that as I began to read the excellent Introduction in All The Difference. I agree with Susan MacKenty Brady, Stuart D. Kilman, and Leslie C. Smith that all great leaders are advocates of careful consideration of different perspectives, nourishing strong teams and creating great value for all stakeholders. Great leaders thrive within interconnected organizational frameworks designed to promote fair treatment, full participation, and a sense of belonging for everyone. Great leaders insist that the given workforce has high-impact communication, cooperation, and especially, collaboration between and among everyone involved.

In All the Difference, Susan MacKenty Brady, Stuart D. Kilman, and Leslie C. Smith provide material that can prepare you to help your organization to achieve several strategic objectives, each of which is herewith prefaced by HOW TO:

o Avoid or eliminate “landmines” of managing differences
o Know yourself better in order to unlock your best self and empower others
o Bring respect to bear when it matters most
o Always tell the truth
o Listen attentively to gain trust

o Obtain all details to understand the full story of the given situation
o Honor multiple perspectives
o Emphasize first-person PLURAL pronouns (i.e., we, us, our)
o Commit to appropriate action whenever needed
o Do all you can to help “bring it all together” and take effective action

The best “self-help ” books (and this is one of them) can help those who read them to accelerate and sustain personal growth and professional development. That is certainly true of the material in All The Difference that Susan MacKenty Brady, Stuart Kilman, and Leslie Smith share, based on wide and deep real-world experience and rigorous reflection.

Bravo!

I now call upon Lao-tse to provide a conclusion for this brief commentary: my favorite passage in his classic  work,  Tao Te Ching:

“Learn from the people
Plan with the people
Begin with what they have
Build on what they know
Of the best leaders
When the task is accomplished
The people will remark
We have done it ourselves.”

* * *

Here are two suggestions while you are reading All the Difference. First, highlight key passages. Also,  perhaps in a lined notebook kept near-at-hand,  record your comments, questions, and action steps (preferably with deadlines). Pay special attention to the superb Introduction and to the set of “Reflection Questions” that concludes most chapters.

These two simple tactics — highlighting and documenting — will expedite frequent reviews of key material later.