Friday book recommendation alert! One of the BEST inspirational fictions I’ve read in years. And, yes, a novel this time, because the mind also needs to go places work never sends it. Life does too.

I was in Vegas this week for our Databricks Leadership Kickoff. Big vision. Sharp people. The kind of room that makes impostor syndrome whisper.

On the flight back, I picked up The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom.

It’s philosophical. It’s quietly provoking. It’s a masterpiece in storytelling. And it lands.

What surprised me is how much it connects to leadership. It uses faith as a lens, but the real story is about human nature under pressure: fear, ego, compassion, responsibility – and what people become when there’s nowhere to hide.

Enjoy reading it!!