Work Signals

Ruchin Kansal advises senior leaders on transformation, strategy, and leadership in complex organizations. As a former global executive at Siemens Healthineers, Boehringer Ingelheim and Deloitte, he led innovation and change across enterprises. His work spans Brown and Seton Hall University, and has published through Routledge, Oxford, World Scientific, and Wharton Healthcare Quarterly.Anthony Caputo is a social-organizational psychologist and advisor focused on leadership, culture, and business performance. As COO and CPO, he helped scale Remesh, an AI-native research company, into an Inc. 5000 and Deloitte Fast 500 organization. His work spans Stanford GSB, Mercer, and the UN, and has published in Oxford, Wiley, and Cambridge University Press.

• Acknowledgements. Preface. Introduction. Work. PART I — WORK SIGNALS. Chapter 1: THE OPERATING FRAMEWORK. PART II - CREATE VALUE. Chapter 2. UNDERSTAND THE GAME. Chapter 3. RECOGNIZE YOUR PERSONAL SIGNAL. Chapter 4. BUILD ENGAGEMENT THAT LASTS. Chapter 5. PLAY YOUR ROLE WELL. PART III - MAKE YOUR VALUE RECOGNIZED. Chapter 6. DECODE THE UNWRITTEN RULES. Chapter 7. MASTER YOUR ORGANIZATION’S CULTURE. Chapter 8. NAVIGATE SIGNAL SHIFTS. PART IV - SUSTAIN ADVANTAGE OVER TIME. Chapter 9. STAY FUTURE READY. Chapter 10. TRANSFORM WITH PURPOSE. The 30-Day Fluency Sprint. Afterword. Website. Conceptual Lineage. About the Authors.

Work Signals is a must-read for professionals who work hard yet feel stuck in their careers. Through engaging, real-world stories, it makes powerful ideas both relatable and actionable. Packed with practical insights, it is a guide you can use every day to improve how you work and grow. Vikesh Mahendroo, Former Global EVP, Mercer HR ConsultingToo many talented human beings are taught how to work hard, but not how to make their impact visible, trusted, and aligned with what organizations actually reward. Work Signals gives readers a concise, repeatable framework for closing that gap. A great read for ambitious people and the leaders responsible for developing them! Joseph Quan, Entrepreneur & Founder/CEO, CPOHQ + Knoetic AI Work Signals hits on a hidden framework for success in navigating organizations. It highlights what I have often seen in my work: those who evaluate and "judge" you do so based on what they perceive. I just wish I had this book when I started!Glenn Snyder, Partner (retired), Med Tech Practice Leader, DeloitteThis is a must-have for every career stage, but particularly for those early in their careers! It is filled with lots of insights and practical guidance that can be implemented immediately. I wish it had been available when I was starting my first job! It is substantive, but I was able to complete it in one sitting.Dr. Z. C. Edwards, MD, MBA, Founder and Chief Medical Officer, pausitive healthThis is that rare book that distills learning from academia into actionable wisdom. Its message is even more important in today's chaotic world of hybrid work that has stymied the kind of relationship building and progress that career advancement depends on.Sofija Jovic, PhD, MBA, ex-CEO, Prophase, & Board MemberHaving worked in many large US as well as European companies in multiple countries and cultures, I can’t say strongly enough how important, and yet ignored, this topic is. Kansal and Caputo do an outstanding job of showing that working hard is not enough for success. Every young person should read and reread this practical guide at various stages of their career, no matter what type of company or entity they want to make their career in.Girish Nadkarni, CEO, Total Energies Ventures (Retd.), Independent Board Member, Investment Committee Member, and Senior AdvisorThis book should be required reading for anyone serious about operating at a high level. Whether early in a career or leading teams at scale, it fundamentally changes how to think about work, visibility, and how to win.Douglas P.B. Freeman, Chief Revenue Officer & High-Growth SaaS OperatorWe’ve all had moments when our hard work doesn’t seem to pay off. Often, it’s not that our work lacks value; it’s that others don’t notice its impact. Kansal and Caputo, combining years of practical experience with deep expertise in organizational behavior, show readers how to make their contributions both meaningful and visible. They offer practical, thoughtful guidance on creating value and ensuring it gets recognized. With clear examples and accessible language, this smart, immediately useful guide gives you the tools to advance. It will change the way you think about your work and your career.Professor Andrew F. Simon, PhD, PsyD, Executive Director, Buccino Leadership Institute, Seton Hall University; Former President, International Council of PsychologistsWith a snappy pace, relatable examples, and helpful checklists and templates, Work Signals is the real talk and solid guidance you need to get unstuck and build the career you want. This is the sort of book you return to over and over, when faced with a transition, a challenge, or a roadblock – a secret decoder ring to get your work recognized and help you make the kind of impact you want.Alexis Fink, PhD, Former VP People Analytics & Workforce Strategy, Meta; SIOP PresidentIt took me many years to understand that, in a world of competing priorities which spins ever faster and faster, few people have the time (or desire) to look beyond the surface signals each of us invariably (and perhaps, inadvertently) sends to embrace a fuller understanding of one’s contribution and value. In this book, Anthony and Ruchin help you understand the rules of the working game, the signals you send and the perceptions that are formed that will, in large part, determine your career trajectory; you’ll learn how to signal (articulate) your value in the right way to the right people such that the organization can embrace the perception of you that propels you forward. Everyone starting a career (and many others who are at career inflection points) will find this framework and the practical suggestions for success within it extremely beneficial.Rebecca L. Ray, Ph.D., (retired) Executive Vice President, Human Capital; The Conference Board