The Journey of Not Knowing

The Journey of Not Knowing by Julie Benezet focuses on a critical characteristic of effective leaders, the ability to deal with ambiguity. This is an aspect of leading that has not been given enough attention. Benezet draws from her own experiences as a former executive at Amazon. The book begins with Benezet sharing her own perspectives on leadership. She outlines the unknowns—internal and external—that leaders need to confront. The middle portion of the volume is a fable about a pivotal day in the work lives of executives in a fictional company. The story is absorbing, though it is easy to lose focus on the points the story is attempting to illustrate. Benezet does provide introductory notes to sections of the story to help the reader keep attention on the lessons being illustrated. In the last section of the book she provides a helpful summary of what is to be gleaned from the story. She also provides useful charts that condense the information. The book provides a readable introduction to the subject of dealing with the unknown. The book’s main weakness is a lack of depth. Nonetheless, Benezet does an important service in making would-be leaders aware of the need to develop an ability to navigate the unknown.