The Friction Project:
How Smart Leaders Make the Right Things Easier and the Wrong Things Harder

Robert I. Sutton & Huggy Rao

When we think about speed, we default to removing friction—and that instinct is usually right. But what The Friction Project unlocked for me is the other side of the coin: knowing when to add friction on purpose. Sutton and Rao show that the smartest leaders don’t just clear paths - they create intentional resistance when it forces better decisions, safer systems, or more focused execution. As your org grows and the default becomes more—more meetings, more tools, more chaos - this book helps you diagnose where to grease the wheels and where to apply the brakes to enable speed that actually matters.

Read The Friction Project if you’re looking to:

• Move faster by removing the drag that slows real work

• Add thoughtful friction that sharpens decisions and focus

• Build a high-velocity org that scales with intention, not clutter