PeopleWorks Announces Publication of The Fog of Work by Adam Tarnow

We are excited to share some significant news from the PeopleWorks team.

Adam Tarnow, our leadership development practice lead, has just published his second book: The Fog of Work: A Simple Approach to Navigating the Complexity of Middle Management (Wiley, April 2026).

Why this matters to your organization

If you are a senior or C-suite leader, you already know that the health of your organization depends on the performance of your middle managers. They are the link between your strategy and your front line. They absorb pressure from above and below, manage the majority of work that actually gets done, and have an outsized influence on employee engagement and retention.

And right now, many of them are struggling.

Gallup research shows that managers account for 70% of the variance in employee engagement. Yet middle managers remain one of the most under-resourced and underappreciated groups in the modern workplace. The consequences show up in your culture, your turnover numbers, and your ability to execute.

The Fog of Work was written specifically for this moment.

About the book

At the heart of the book is a vivid and immediately recognizable image: The Valley. Middle managers live at the bottom of it, absorbing pressure from senior leadership on one side and from their direct reports on the other. It is a structurally difficult position that has nothing to do with talent or work ethic, and everything to do with where they sit in the organization.

The book gives middle managers one question, rooted in thousands of years of wisdom, that cuts through the confusion and reveals exactly what to do next. When that question becomes a habit, managers stop feeling stuck, start moving forward with confidence, and discover that the valley they have been dreading is actually the place where great leaders are made.

“There are countless resources for senior level leaders and new leaders, but very few resources for those in the middle,” says Tarnow. “I’m thrilled to create a resource for this wildly important professional demographic.”

The connection to our work

This book is not a side project. It is the foundation of what we teach.

“The message from this book is the foundation of what we teach in our leadership development workshops,” says Tarnow. “We believe middle management is not a season that breaks you. It’s a season that makes you.”

If your organization is navigating manager burnout, high turnover, or the challenge of building a stronger leadership pipeline, we would love to explore how The Fog of Work can support your team. Whether through a keynote, a customized workshop experience, or bulk copies for your leadership team, we are here to help (note: bulk orders are available at discounted pricing).

The Fog of Work is available now at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

To learn more or to discuss how we can bring this message to your leaders, please reach out to us directly.

Congratulations to Adam on this milestone, and thank you, as always, for your continued trust in PeopleWorks.