Defy

‘Amazing’ – Chris van Tulleken
‘A must-read’ – Dr. Robert Cialdini
‘Transformative’ – Daniel Pink
‘A culture-shifting manifesto’ – Jonah Berger
‘Powerful’ – Adam Grant

Why is it so hard to speak up, even when we know something’s wrong?

This is the definitive book on defiance, a clear-eyed dissection of the forces that silence us, featuring groundbreaking research and legendary stories alongside everyday examples and strategies for how to unleash the power of a “True No.”

Many of us comply much more than we realize. How many times have you wanted to object, disagree, or opt out of something but ended up swallowing your words, shaking your head, and just going along? Analyzing cases ranging from corporate corruption and sexual abuse to everyday acquiescence at work, the doctor’s office, and in our personal lives, award-winning organizational psychologist Dr. Sunita Sah delves deep into why the pressure to comply is a corrosive and often invisible force in our society.

With her own revelatory research, she radically transforms our idea of defiance from a misunderstood negative trait into a crucial, positive force for personal and societal change. Taking us through her five stages of defiance, Dr. Sah equips readers with simple tools to make decisions that align with their values. Defy is the essential playbook for how to speak up and act when it matters most.

Author Biography

Dr Sunita Sah is an award-winning professor and expert in organisational psychology at Cornell University. She is also on the faculty at UCL Global Business School for Health and was formerly the KPMG Professor of Management Studies at the University of Cambridge. She leads groundbreaking research on influence, authority, compliance and defiance. Originally from Yorkshire, Dr Sah is a trained physician and practiced medicine in the NHS before working as a management consultant for the pharmaceutical industry. She currently teaches executives, leaders and students in healthcare and business.

Dr Sah is a sought after international speaker and consultant, advisor to government agencies and former commissioner of the National Commission on Forensic Science. Her multidisciplinary research and analyses have been widely published in leading academic journals and media entities, including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Harvard Business Review and Scientific American. She lives with her family in New York.