{"id":1430,"date":"2026-05-02T08:32:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T12:32:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/garthnichols\/?p=1430"},"modified":"2026-03-22T08:34:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T12:34:28","slug":"book-review-unclench-your-fist-glenn-robbins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/garthnichols\/21st-century-skills\/book-review-unclench-your-fist-glenn-robbins\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: &#8220;Unclench Your Fist&#8221; (Glenn Robbins)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"162\" data-end=\"178\"><span style=\"font-size: 1.6rem;\">\u201cYour strength is not measured by how well you fight back; it\u2019s measured by how much you can endure while continuing to move forward.\u201d ~<\/span>\u00a0p.43<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"162\" data-end=\"178\">I first met Glenn through the podcast I co-host with Jason Rogers. We were interviewing him and his co-author Danny Bauer about their book &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/garthnichols\/classroom\/book-review-calm-in-the-chaos-danny-bauer-et-al\/\">Calm in the Chaos<\/a>&#8220;. Glenn&#8217;s contributions were really deep and from a school administrator&#8217;s perspective on change. This book was not unexpected, and it certainly doesn&#8217;t disappoint!<\/p>\n<h3 data-section-id=\"1fmwjpd\" data-start=\"329\" data-end=\"373\">You would be interested in this book if\u2026<\/h3>\n<ul data-start=\"375\" data-end=\"645\">\n<li data-section-id=\"1uf1vrh\" data-start=\"375\" data-end=\"469\">You\u2019re a leader facing tough decisions and the inevitable resistance that comes with them.<\/li>\n<li data-section-id=\"1bzi8jv\" data-start=\"470\" data-end=\"539\">You value stoic wisdom and practical tools for navigating change.<\/li>\n<li data-section-id=\"1yk5n62\" data-start=\"540\" data-end=\"645\">You want a companion to help you make hard calls, respond to critics, and protect your team\u2019s momentum.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr data-start=\"647\" data-end=\"650\" \/>\n<h3 data-section-id=\"cbn5o8\" data-start=\"652\" data-end=\"693\">1. The Internal Grip: Facing Yourself<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"695\" data-end=\"1260\">Robbins opens with a Marcus Aurelius quotation to remind us that leadership starts within.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p data-start=\"695\" data-end=\"1260\">When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: The people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly&#8230;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p data-start=\"695\" data-end=\"1260\">In this way, as a leader, Robbins reminds us to be prepared for the insults, the resistance and attacks. No, not to define your leadership in this way, but when managing and leading change, to be aware and prepared.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"695\" data-end=\"1260\">In this first section, he urges us to confront the \u201cwolves\u201d \u2014 the rumors, negativity, and self-doubt that echo louder than they are. Borrowing from a story about Ulysses S. Grant, who was tricked by two wolves: you see, wolves can make it sound\u00a0 like they are more numerous than they actually are &#8211; a phenomenon called the Beau Geste Effect, where they use complex, rapid, and echoed howls that can mimic the sound of a much larger group. Stumbling upon this, Grant and his guide sought out the wolves only to find two &#8211; not the twenty that Grant has supposed.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"695\" data-end=\"1260\">So, as a leader, be wary of the 2 or three emails of resistance &#8211; they sound bigger than they are. Seek out the source and determine the validity.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"695\" data-end=\"1260\">He tells us to separate genuine concerns from noise, to use data as our telescope, and to stay grounded in our \u201cwhy.\u201d The goal is not to clench our fists at every critic but to pause, consider the source, respond to issues, and then return to the work. It\u2019s stoic, practical, and a reminder that our strength is measured by endurance, not aggression.<\/p>\n<hr data-start=\"1262\" data-end=\"1265\" \/>\n<h3 data-section-id=\"11ajq01\" data-start=\"1267\" data-end=\"1304\">2. The Open Hand: Making the Move<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"1306\" data-end=\"1856\">The second section shifts from introspection to action. Robbins quotes John Wooden to emphasize the canyon that exists between those soliciting opinons from those who have to make the decisions &#8211; the really hard calls.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1306\" data-end=\"1856\">Wooden is the legendary Basketball coach. His advice to leaders that Robbins leans into is:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p data-start=\"1306\" data-end=\"1856\">Decision making is a lonely job. Suggestion making is very simple, andbody can make suggestions, but decision make, when it affects others, is difficult. You have to do it with courage. ~ Wooden<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p data-start=\"1306\" data-end=\"1856\">In this way, leaders have to listen &#8211; of course they do &#8211; and this is just one way that they make sure they are right. Leaders have to know their &#8220;why&#8221; and make decisions from there &#8211; even when it impacts the lives of others. Robbins offers the following advice:<br \/>\n(1) Know you are right &#8211; this is not about ego, this is about data, listening and your &#8216;why&#8217;.<br \/>\n(2) Know the stakes &#8211; is this the hill you want to die on?<br \/>\n(3) Know what it takes &#8211; do you have the right moment, the right people and systems in place to make this decision in the right way.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1306\" data-end=\"1856\">Robbins challenges us to let go of safety nets, own the outcome, and take calculated risks based on solid data. This is where the \u201chard call\u201d lives. He advises leaders to know what must be sacrificed, to lead from the front, and to accept that defining a new direction will draw criticism. It\u2019s about unclenching your fist, stepping forward, and trusting your preparation.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"&quot;Out of the Trenches&quot; podcast episode #315: Glenn Robbins\" width=\"581\" height=\"327\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4UFKXArPngc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<hr data-start=\"1858\" data-end=\"1861\" \/>\n<h3 data-section-id=\"v1pglz\" data-start=\"1863\" data-end=\"1913\">3. The Enduring Grasp: Surviving the Aftermath<\/h3>\n<blockquote>\n<p data-start=\"1915\" data-end=\"2463\">Far and way the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing ~ Theodore Roosevelt<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p data-start=\"1915\" data-end=\"2463\">Change doesn\u2019t end with the decision\u2014it has to be sustained. In the final section, Robbins focuses on surviving the aftermath of hard calls. He draws from John Kotter\u2019s change management principles, emphasizing the need to anticipate resistance, build a coalition of the willing, and control the narrative. And most importantly, protect and sustain that innovation &#8211; or as Kotter would put it &#8220;Leave no breadcrumbs.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1915\" data-end=\"2463\">Robbins reminds leaders not to apologize for making the decision, but do show empathy. Speak up, be clear, and keep returning to the \u201cwhy.\u201d As he puts it, the lies travel faster than the truth, so leaders must be proactive, simple, and repetitive in their messaging.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p data-start=\"1915\" data-end=\"2463\">A lie will gallop halfway round the world before the truth has time to pull its breeches on ~ Cordell Hull, F. Roosevelt&#8217;s Secretary of State<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<hr data-start=\"2465\" data-end=\"2468\" \/>\n<h3 data-section-id=\"jg9ywz\" data-start=\"2470\" data-end=\"2494\">Final Recommendation<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"2496\" data-end=\"2909\"><em data-start=\"2496\" data-end=\"2516\">Unclench Your Fist<\/em> is a practical, stoic-infused guide for leaders navigating contentious times. It\u2019s accessible, filled with memorable anecdotes and quotations, and structured in a way that lets you flip to exactly what you need. Whether you\u2019re facing rumors, making a hard call, or managing the aftermath, Robbins offers both the mindset and the playbook. It\u2019s a desk-side companion for anyone leading change.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cYour strength is not measured by how well you fight back; it\u2019s measured by how much you can endure while continuing to move forward.\u201d ~\u00a0p.43 I first met Glenn through the podcast I co-host with Jason Rogers. We were interviewing him and his co-author Danny Bauer about their book &#8220;Calm in the Chaos&#8220;. Glenn&#8217;s contributions&#8230;<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/garthnichols\/21st-century-skills\/book-review-unclench-your-fist-glenn-robbins\/\">Read more <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":1431,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,23],"tags":[49],"class_list":["post-1430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-21st-century-skills","category-leadership","tag-book-review"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/garthnichols\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1430","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/garthnichols\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/garthnichols\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/garthnichols\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/garthnichols\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1430"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/garthnichols\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1430\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1432,"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/garthnichols\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1430\/revisions\/1432"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/garthnichols\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1431"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/garthnichols\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/garthnichols\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/garthnichols\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}