Reunion: Leadership and the Longing to Belong

by Jerry Colonna

Overview

Building on the success of Reboot and the concept of radical self-inquiry, executive coach Jerry Colonna encourages leaders to consider the ways they have been complicit in, and benefitted from, the conditions in the world they say they’d like to change and shows them the path to creating new systems of inclusion for everyone.

We all want to belong. For executives and managers, to be better leaders—and people—we must create welcoming environments in which ourselves and others feel recognized and have a place. But to do so, we must first face our own need for belonging and how that need is often thwarted. Colonna argues that only through radical self-inquiry can we come home to ourselves and others and, in doing so, create systemic belonging—homes—for everyone.

Many people in power fall into the trap of toxic leadership. But this toxicity can be overcome. Colonna guides us on a journey of reunification with the disowned parts of ourselves, the myths and truths of our ancestors, as well as a deeper connection with those most affected by systems of exclusion. He shows how to apply radical self-inquiry (“How have I been complicit in creating the conditions I say I don't want?”) and broaden it to include “How have I been complicit in maintaining systems of oppression that I say I don’t want?” And, more important, “What do I need to give up that I love in order to have the systems of belonging that I want?”

The necessary first step is for leaders and others who hold power to see themselves clearly. The vital second step is to see and alter the effects of one’s untended, unhealed wounds and beliefs on those we are tasked to lead.

Doing so, we are then able to reimagine businesses as collectives where a shared sense of belonging thrives. Doing so will cause a reckoning with the accepted definitions of leadership, success, and value.

With its unusual blend of poetry, quotes, and examples from Colonna’s own life as well as the lives of his clients—Reunion is a life-altering guide for today’s complex and divisive world. Its wise insights and practical advice will help create an inclusive and welcoming workspace, discover the best of who we are, and nurture and support those whom we are privileged to lead.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063142138
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	11/14/2023
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	3,070
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Jerry Colonna is the CEO and cofounder of the executive coaching firm Reboot.io. A highly sought-after coach and speaker, he is also the author of Reboot: Leadership and the Art of Growing Up. For more than twenty years, he has used his experiences as a CEO, investor, journalist, college professor, and, lastly, coach to help people lead with humanity, resilience, and equanimity. He is astounded by the fact that he lives on a farm outside of Boulder, near the foothills of the Rockies and far from the streets of Brooklyn where he was born and raised. He is the father of three amazing humans, each of whom cares deeply about the love, safety, and belonging of others.

Editorial Reviews

10/23/2023

This confused business manual from executive coach Colonna (Reboot) presents inadequate advice on how to be an inclusive leader. “The link between extractive capitalism maintaining systems of injustice and systemic Othering is shockingly clear,” Colonna contends, arguing that business leaders have a moral obligation to resist discrimination and promote belonging. Unfortunately, Colonna’s vague program provides few specifics on what that involves. His “process of reunion” recommends readers recognize historic injustices, reflect on how their ancestry influences their life, and confront prejudice. There’s little meaningful elaboration on what these steps look like in practice, however, as Colonna instead zooms from dubiously relevant anecdotes (Colonna’s account of encouraging the head of a firm to recognize how unprocessed grief over his mother’s death had compromised his leadership has little to do with inclusivity) to bromide-filled sermonizing: “In organizations where systemic Othering is the norm, it’s usually unsafe to tell the truth.... Without trust, there is no safety. Without safety, there is no Belonging.” Though Colonna returns throughout to the “extractive, exploitive aspects of capitalism” and “systemic racism and Othering,” his milquetoast guidance inexplicably focuses on promoting interpersonal bonhomie instead of how leaders can implement organizational policies to address material inequalities. This bites off more than it can chew. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

Provocative, personal, and powerful, Reunion is a treatise on the longing to belong. Jerry Colonna, famous for the idea that better people make better leaders, now argues that the best leaders dedicate themselves to creating systems of belonging. And with characteristic candor, he lays out a path to begin this vital work.” — Angela Duckworth, co-founder of Character Lab and New York Times bestselling author of Grit: The Power of Patience and Perseverance 

"Jerry Colonna has written a provocative and courageous manifesto that challenges the conventions of leadership and pushes us to dig deep. The wisdom in this book will help improve your business—and heal our world—by building communities of belonging.” — Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Power of Regret, Drive, and A Whole Mind

“Your mission is not just to be a better person or to make a better company, but to work towards creating a better world. Reunion convincingly delivers this challenging, essential message.” — Dan Harris, author Ten Percent Happier and host of the Ten Percent Happier podcast

“Reunion is the perfect book for every human who dreams big and aspires not only to lead great companies, but also to lead systemic change for the benefit of future generations. In today's business world, creating a highly profitable enterprise is a necessary but insufficient condition to inspire and bring the best out of those we seek to lead. In Reunion, Jerry challenges us to think more expansively about the role leaders can play in creating enterprises where everyone—including those who have ever been othered—can feel a sense of safety and belonging, to do the best work of their lives.” — Emily Chiu, COO, TBD @ Block Inc.

“What did we learn, individually and collectively, from the fear, isolation, and loss of the pandemic experience? Anything? One of the most thoughtful and deeply felt responses is Jerry Colonna’s new book, Reunion: Leadership and the Longing to Belong. It places culture back in the phrase ‘corporate culture.’ This book is ruthlessly honest, heartfelt, and surprisingly practical. It will make you uncomfortable at times, in the best possible way—it will push you to think, grow, find deeper purpose, and maybe even make the world a better place.” — Jerry Ruhl, Ph.D., depth psychologist and author of Living Your Unlived Life

“Reunion is a workshop for your soul. Jerry Colonna asks us to look deep within—and then beyond—to unlock the doors that prevent us from creating a sense of belonging in ourselves and in others. Reunion shows how radical self-inquiry opens new pathways to radical responsibility and community.” — Chad Prevost, Ph.D., M.Div, author of Shock Point: The Enneagram in Burnout and Stress

"Brave, vulnerable, and beautifully-written, Reunion provides a powerful perspective on the challenge of Othering. In his writing, Jerry Colonna goes where few leaders—especially white men—are willing to go: Right to the heart of the challenge." — Patty McCord, author of Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility

“Reunion challenges conventional notions of leadership, success, and value, offering a fresh perspective on how businesses can be reimagined as collectives where a shared sense of belonging thrives. Reunion reminds us that by acknowledging our own wounds and beliefs and recognizing their impact on others, we can become genuine catalysts for positive change. This is the new playbook for belonging.”  — Dr. Khalilah “KO” Olokunola, Impact Architect and CEO of ReEngineering HR and author of #BeBrave

“Infused with empathy, hard-truths, and hope, Reunion is the manual for human leadership we desperately need. A generation defining call to action, it will shake its readers out of a state of complacency, and usher them into a transformational journey that hopefully leaves our world better off.”  — David Sax, author of The Future is Analog

“Reunion is the book I wish all leaders—especially during times of social unrest—had in hand. It’s the first playbook I’ve seen for rewiring how we think about authentically engaging and supporting people from different backgrounds.” — Austin Clements, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Slauson & Co. 

“Reunion provides a pathway for overcoming separation without pointing fingers or shaming. What makes it brilliant is that it confronts Othering by contextualizing our own stories and ancestry.” — Randy Goodman, CEO, Sony Music Nashville

"As he always does, Jerry Colonna leads by example. Using his own longing for belonging as a model, Jerry challenges us and our individual notions of belonging. This important and powerful book will take you to a new place and a new understanding of leadership and a leader's responsibility in creating a place of belonging for all."  — Brad Feld, Foundry, partner

"Empathy isn't simply a word. It's a practice and a path. Jerry Colonna generously and bravely opens the door for us to find a way to reconcile with the others in our past, in our lives and in our future, in service of a better world and more effective leadership." — Seth Godin, author of The Song of Significance: A New Manifesto for Teams

“Reunion urges us to redefine our notions of success and leadership and place inclusivity at the center of our work. A powerful reminder of the active role we must play in dismantling oppressive systems, it is a departure from performative actions and a step towards real, substantial change.” — Sope Agbelusi, executive coach and founder of MindsetShift

"Jerry Colonna is the rare author whose whole heart is released into his writing and unconditionally offered to us. Reunion is a wise and practical guide to belonging, true inclusion, power, and love. It is a profound expression of compassion as a means of overcoming that which divides us." — Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness and Real Life

“In Reunion, Jerry takes us beyond the radical self-inquiry of his first book Reboot to actively look outside ourselves to challenge the systems around us that unnecessarily (and tragically) separate us from each other. In Reunion, Jerry beautifully narrates his profound journey and shows us what’s possible when we each take up the mantle of our highest collective calling: systemic belonging.” — Chad Dickerson, executive coach and former CEO of Etsy Inc.

“Jerry asks us to revisit our past to become more formidable leaders, and most important, better humans. Reunion is a thought-provoking ride that will change how you view the world, your place in it, and what it means to truly create a sense of belonging.” — Laurie Segall, author of Special Characters: My Adventures with Tech's Titans and Misfits

“Jerry Colonna has helped so many leaders—including me—engage our deepest humanity as we become more present in our organizations and in our lives. In this new book, he searches within himself, and becomes again a companion and teacher to the rest of us, towards the larger belonging that holds all of this amidst the great challenge and gift of being alive in this time.” — Krista Tippett, founder and president of the On Being Project and New York Times bestselling author of Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living?

“The transformation we need—in ourselves, our families, our workplaces, our institutions, and culture—starts by reading Reunion. Waste no time. This is the book to dive into and to use as your map forward. This is the book that can change the way we love, live, and work as we shift the way we see ourselves and others.” — Karen Benjack Hardwick, M.Div., MSW, and author of The Connected Leader: 7 Strategies to Empower Your True Self & Inspire Others 

From the Publisher