BESTSELLING
BOOKS

Heather's Books
“
The Adaptation Advantage: Let Go, Learn Fast, and Thrive in the Future of Work by Heather E. McGowan and Chris Shipley

THE
ADAPTATION
ADVANTAGE

Let go, learn fast, and thrive in the future of work—this book will show you how.

Technology is changing work as we know it. So much change, so quickly, is challenging our ability to adapt. But what if we could open the floodgates of human potential by changing the way we think about work and leadership and our ability to adapt?

The Adaptation Advantage (Wiley, 2020) is a deeply researched and practical guide for individuals and organizations navigating the complex and ambiguous future of work.

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The Story Behind the Book

Observing the speed at which technology and global forces were rapidly reshaping work, renowned technology journalist Chris Shipley and I created a guidebook for adaptation that, because of its publication date, became an accidental guide to the pandemic.

Drawing on Fortune 500 case studies and insights from industry leaders, we offer a framework for leaders ready to rethink work, education, and leadership in an era of perpetual transformation.

- Heather

THE
EMPATHY
ADVANTAGE

Leading in the
Empowered Workforce

If we want to outperform the competition with a complex, diverse, and multigenerational workforce, we have to tap into peoples’ intrinsic motivations, reorganize work to accommodate continuous change, and unleash our empathy advantage.

Whether you’re a seasoned executive or emerging leader, The Empathy Advantage (Wiley, 2023) will help you embrace a more influential and engaging form of leadership by empowering and inspiring human potential.

The Empathy Advantage: Leading the Empowered Workforce by Heather E. McGowan and Chris Shipley
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The Story Behind the Book

Seismic shifts in the workplace post-pandemic—widespread burnout, the emergence of Gen Z, and a fundamental restructuring of how we work—meant that leaders increasingly found themselves guiding teams with skills and expertise beyond their own experience. Together with Chris Shipley, I set out to create a new leadership guidebook for this transformed landscape.

We saw how Gen Z's rising influence and AI technologies like ChatGPT were transforming work from individual tasks into collaborative exploration. These changes demanded a leadership approach rooted in empathy and collective intelligence—one that unlocks each person's intrinsic drive rather than relying on outdated command-and-control structures that stifle potential.

- Heather
Disrupt Together: How Teams Consistently Innovate

DISRUPT
TOGETHER

How Teams Consistently Innovate

How can teams multiply their innovation power to compete in a world that requires us to constantly reinvent ourselves?

Instead of solving an existing problem better than anyone else, they find the right problem to solve—which leads to better ideas and better opportunities.

In Disrupt Together (Pearson/Financial Times, 2012), discover a breakthrough transdisciplinary approach to innovation that will reinvigorate your business.

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The Story Behind the Book

Disrupt Together emerged from a unique collaboration of world-class advisors and fellows I brought together to build an innovative college at Jefferson University (previously Philadelphia University).

Each chapter—available individually or as a complete volume—explores critical dimensions of innovation: from ethnography and design thinking to business models, sustainability, branding, and organizational strategy.

The resulting Kanbar College of Design, Engineering and Commerce, named for prolific inventor and alumni Maurice Kanbar, won Core 77's top educational design award for education and curriculum design—a testament to the transformative vision of this exceptional brain trust.

- Heather
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READY TO SOLVE TOMORROW’S
PROBLEMS, TODAY?