All That We Are: Uncovering the Hidden Truths Behind Our Behaviour at Work

Gently, Gabriella Braun, describes how we are struggling with who we are and what it means to be a human being in a work environment. Her writing does what she promises in the subtitle: “uncover the hidden truths behind our behavior at work.” By keeping us close to her experience and making that experience visible, she allows us to follow her approach to coaching and serving groups. We see how in doing her work she enables her clients to make sense of their situation and the unfolding events. Her book helps to see how relationships at work can be affecting the team's ability to do the work, even more so, if no one pays attention to the ways the unconscious participates in the relationship.

As someone who is interested in psychology and learning why people do things they do, I really enjoyed the stories that Gabriella shared in this book. It gives you insights into why people behave the way they do in professional settings, as well as what goes on in the mind of the professionals that are there to help them. I did a lot of highlighting and it made me think through my own behaviors and how it contributes to the whole of a work culture. My only constructive feedback is that, at first, it seemed like a lot of random stories, without a thread tying them together, but when I let go of my expectations of what the book ‘should be’, I found I really enjoyed the stories as they were. Definitely recommend.

I’ve just finished this wonderful book & I just wanted to say how very much I enjoyed it. As a vet with little prior knowledge of this field it really seemed to strike at something in our profession - the knotty relationships we sometimes have, and the confusion that shrouds some days. Utterly fascinating and brilliantly written. A deep, impactful, relevant book that invites us to be compassionate to ourselves and to search for meaning in conflict.

A very interesting book and an easy read too. No jargon here and no need to be an expert on Lacan to understand the relevance of psychoanalytical concepts when applied to solving HR problems in the workplace. This is not a given : psychoanalysis usually deals with individual rather than collective existential problems. But here Gabriella Braun shows us that its dynamics can help groups emerge from the morass of internecine conflict. Reading the book one also realizes that deeply rooted emotions play a major role in the seemingly rational universe of professional life.

'All That We Are' is beautifully written - an easy read, accessible to anyone. I genuinely couldn't put it down. There are journeys of discovery: those experienced by the organisations in the case studies, the behaviours of the teams and leaders in the workplace and how these behaviours linked to the motivations of the individual; the reader's, as we find that we begin to explore our own behaviours at work; and Gabriella's as she relates how she questioned and examined her own struggles. Throughout, one senses an underlying kindness and deep compassion. In a time when we are all in need of new ways of working, this book has equally deep relevance.