Simple Sabotage

Leaders waste time chasing symptoms while hidden sabotage behaviors erode trust, slow decisions, and drain morale. Simple Sabotage cuts through the noise by naming the most common ways people undermine their own workplaces-quiet resistance, false optimism, strategic silence, and more. The book gives a checklist of observable actions and a step-by-step playbook for calling them out without creating new conflict.

Bob Frisch brings three decades of consulting with Fortune 10 boards and midsize family firms, translating that experience into a field manual that reads like a tactical guide. Co-authored with Robert Galford and Cary Greene, each chapter pairs a real-world anecdote-like a senior manager's habit of postponing difficult conversations-with a concrete intervention, such as a structured "sabotage audit" meeting and a simple language pattern to surface hidden agendas.

The core insight is that sabotage isn't always malicious; it's often a learned coping mechanism that surfaces when teams lack clear decision frameworks. By surfacing these behaviors, leaders can rebuild psychological safety, accelerate decision-making, and improve overall team performance. The book equips technical leaders with practical tools-question templates, diagnostic rubrics, and follow-up rituals-to turn sabotage into opportunity for growth.

For engineering managers facing chronic delays or disengaged engineers, the manual offers a way to diagnose the cultural friction that slows delivery. It shows how to replace vague complaints with measurable actions, enabling leaders to restore focus and align execution with strategy. The result is a healthier, more accountable team that can move faster without sacrificing morale.