An Inbox Between Us
AI is not here to replace human judgment. It is here to make the absence of judgment visible.
with Zachary Locklear (Narrator)
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Pub Date Jul 20 2026 | Archive Date Sep 25 2026
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Description
Every organization has two versions of itself. There's the documented one — the processes, org charts, and values that make up the official story. Then there's the way things actually work: the workarounds people build because the real process doesn't fit, the spreadsheets no one asked for but everyone depends on, the conversations where someone finally says what they actually need. That second version has always been there. It's how businesses actually run. And AI just walked into the middle of it.
An Inbox Between Us is not a framework, a productivity system, or a technology roadmap. David Dean draws on nearly 20 years inside complex organizations — close to the real decisions, workarounds, and human behavior that determine how work gets done — to examine what AI makes visible when it enters that environment. AI doesn't understand context, politics, or consequence. It processes what it's given — and in doing so, it surfaces patterns that were scattered, rationalized, or buried. What becomes visible is often uncomfortable. It's also an opportunity to self-realize — as a person and as an organization.
In this audiobook, you'll hear:
- Why organizations misunderstand how their own work gets done — and what AI reveals about the gap
- How people creatively adapt around broken processes, and why those adaptations matter more than leaders realize
- What it means to build trust with AI the way you'd build trust with a new team member — gradually, with guardrails you control
- Why the people doing the undocumented work are the most important part of the equation
Narrated by Zachary Locklear, this 9-hour listen is built for how working professionals actually absorb ideas — commutes, workouts, the spaces between meetings.
Independent Book Review calls it "a thoughtful and perceptive study of how people actually make decisions."
For leaders and every working person who's been handed AI and told to figure it out.
Advance Praise
“Far more ambitious than a book about email, An Inbox Between Us is a thoughtful and perceptive study of how people actually make decisions, cope with pressure, and adapt systems in messy human environments.”
—Erin Britton, Independent Book Review
“If you already have a dysfunctional organization and you AI optimize it, you’re just heightening your dysfunction. I really appreciate you bringing that up.”
—Tim Staton, host of Tim Stating the Obvious
“You make a connection, David, that I think is so fundamental and yet very few people think about. AI thrives where thinking thrives. Without that foundation, it remains a shiny demo. With it, it becomes a lever for transformation. I’m seeing so many leaders who see AI as being able to replace the thinking.”
—Brian Gorman, host of Qonversations and founder of TransformingLives.Coach
“It’s not a book about AI. AI is involved, but this is more about people self-reflecting, going back and understanding their role, their foundation, and their behavior.”
—John M. Jaramillo, host of The Book Leads Podcast
“I have so many examples coming to mind of teams in the AI transformation process where this friction bubbles up because the self-reflection was not done.”
—Ramona Shaw, host of The Manager Track and founder of Archova
“Your book really helps us ask, ‘What do we need to do to be the most operationally effective that we can?’ It’s such a great place to look at the characteristics and behaviors organizations carry.”
—Anthony Amunategui, founder of CDO Group, Inc. and host of the Future Factory Podcast
“You bring up the old adage of garbage in, garbage out, and replace that with behavior in, behavior out.”
—Sam Reeve, host of People Strategy Forum and founder of CompTeam
Available Editions
| EDITION | Audiobook |
| ISBN | 9798994469026 |
| PRICE | |
| DURATION | 9 Hours, 35 Minutes |