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Pause

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What to expect

Unlock your team’s best work - even in the most distracting environments.

Is your team busy but rarely at its best? Is the pressure to do more with less pushing your people to burnout?

Most employees don’t underperform because they lack talent or ambition. They struggle because their environment makes sustaining great work nearly impossible. It doesn’t have to be that way.

In Pause, speaker and consultant Shawn Vanderhoven reveals 12 leadership practices to deliberately slow things down so your team can speed up where it matters most. Drawing from original research on over 150 major companies from Amazon to Google to LinkedIn, he shows you how to:

  • Protect focus by replacing distracting messaging habits
  • Generate momentum by turning fuzzy goals into clear targets
  • Expose the hidden workload undermining deep work
  • Turn rumination into confidence by using mistakes to fuel growth


Packed with compelling case studies and actionable tools, Pause equips you to cut through the noise, deliver exceptional results and become the boss everyone wants to work for.

‘Gives you the tools you need to focus on the things that matter. Essential!’ Kim Scott

© Shawn Vanderhoven 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

Critics Review

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
Author Shawn Vanderhoven
Narrator Shawn Vanderhoven
Duration 7 hours and 55 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781529943245
Format Audiobook
Publisher Transworld
Genre Advice on careers and achieving success, Management: leadership and motivation, Organizational theory and behaviour, Time management
Availability AU, GB, IE

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