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  • Published: 6 August 2026
  • ISBN: 9781529936223
  • Imprint: Transworld Digital
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 320

Pause

How to Lead Brilliant Work in a Busy World

  • Shawn Vanderhoven



The development expert behind some of the world’s most successful leaders reveals how to unlock your team’s ability to focus on the things that matter.

Workers are frustrated and exhausted. They feel pressure to take on more than they can do. They are looking for answers that actually offer relief from being overworked but underutilised. But amid relentless overwhelm, leaders find it more difficult than ever to help their team focus on the work that matters.

Determined to find a solution to this problem, Shawn Vanderhoven, partner at talent development company The Wiseman Group, ran a three-year study interviewing several hundred high-performers at the world's top companies like Amazon, Google and Tesla. Shawn’s analysis revealed twelve specific behaviours that differentiated the leaders who cut a clear path through the noise, and those who just added further distractions. And they all start with a pause.

Outlining these behaviours and demonstrating their impact, in Pause Shawn also examines the science behind why they unlock people’s ability to focus, and offers strategies that make them easy to adopt. Ultimately, we’re offered a new language and system to help us do the work that matters, and set the boundaries for a more fulfilling life when we're off the clock.

  • Published: 6 August 2026
  • ISBN: 9781529936223
  • Imprint: Transworld Digital
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 320

Praise for Pause

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!

Kim Scott, author of bestselling books Radical Candor and Radical Respect

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.

Michael Bungay Stanier, author of The Coaching Habit, the best-selling coaching book

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.

Liz Wiseman, author of best-selling books Multipliers and Impact Players

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.

Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Drive, When, and The Power of Regret