Sign-In
Cart
Pandemic: Solving Complex Problems Through Talent, Trust, Teamwork and Strategic Workforce Planning
Paperback
Series: The Leadership Game
Please select the version of book you would like to purchase.
ISBN13: 9798180017987
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Jul 7 2026
Pages: 222
Weight: 0.67
Height: 0.47 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Jul 7 2026
Pages: 222
Weight: 0.67
Height: 0.47 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
The talent crisis is not coming. It is already here.
In the United States, more than 11,400 people turn 65 every single day. In Canada, 2.7 million Baby Boomers are approaching retirement - the largest and final wave of a generation that built most of the organizations we depend on. Generation Z, now the fastest-growing segment of the workforce on both sides of the border, averages just 1.1 years in a role before moving on. By 2030, the global talent shortage could leave more than 85 million jobs unfilled.
In the United States, more than 11,400 people turn 65 every single day. In Canada, 2.7 million Baby Boomers are approaching retirement - the largest and final wave of a generation that built most of the organizations we depend on. Generation Z, now the fastest-growing segment of the workforce on both sides of the border, averages just 1.1 years in a role before moving on. By 2030, the global talent shortage could leave more than 85 million jobs unfilled.
And 2026 is projected to be the last year where more people age into the North American workforce than age out of it. After this year, the gap inverts - and keeps widening.
In PANDEMIC, leadership expert Matthew G. Booker uses the acclaimed cooperative board game as a lens for the most urgent leadership challenge of the coming decade: how do you build the team, develop the talent, and create the culture that solves what no individual leader can solve alone?
Introducing the CURE Model
Built around four principles that mirror the game's cooperative mechanics, the CURE Model gives leaders a practical framework for navigating the talent crisis:
C - Communicate Openly: Build the environment where the truth moves freely
U - Understand Strengths: See each person's irreplaceable capability and develop it deliberately
R - Respond Together: Build the collective strength that complex problems demand
E - Empower Others: Develop people who can lead without you
Know Your Roles
At the heart of the book are nine talent archetypes - drawn directly from the Pandemic game's character roles - that every organization needs and most leaders have never thought to name. The Medic. The Scientist. The Archivist. The Troubleshooter. The Dispatcher. Each one irreplaceable. Each one at risk. Each one requiring a specific, deliberate approach to develop and retain.
Your Treatment Plan
Every chapter closes with a Your Treatment Plan prompt - a practical, honest challenge that moves the ideas off the page and into your leadership immediately. The book concludes with a 90-Day Strategic Workforce Planning framework you can begin using this week.
PANDEMIC is the third book in Matthew G. Booker's Leadership Game Series, following Snakes and Ladders and Checkmate. It stands alone as a complete leadership guide and works as the capstone of a trilogy that takes leaders from understanding their environment, to mastering their own strategy, to building the team that wins together.
Organizations don't overcome complexity because of one extraordinary leader. They overcome complexity when they develop a culture where people communicate openly, understand strengths, respond together, and empower others. The cure is not a person. The cure is the culture.
In PANDEMIC, leadership expert Matthew G. Booker uses the acclaimed cooperative board game as a lens for the most urgent leadership challenge of the coming decade: how do you build the team, develop the talent, and create the culture that solves what no individual leader can solve alone?
Introducing the CURE Model
Built around four principles that mirror the game's cooperative mechanics, the CURE Model gives leaders a practical framework for navigating the talent crisis:
C - Communicate Openly: Build the environment where the truth moves freely
U - Understand Strengths: See each person's irreplaceable capability and develop it deliberately
R - Respond Together: Build the collective strength that complex problems demand
E - Empower Others: Develop people who can lead without you
Know Your Roles
At the heart of the book are nine talent archetypes - drawn directly from the Pandemic game's character roles - that every organization needs and most leaders have never thought to name. The Medic. The Scientist. The Archivist. The Troubleshooter. The Dispatcher. Each one irreplaceable. Each one at risk. Each one requiring a specific, deliberate approach to develop and retain.
Your Treatment Plan
Every chapter closes with a Your Treatment Plan prompt - a practical, honest challenge that moves the ideas off the page and into your leadership immediately. The book concludes with a 90-Day Strategic Workforce Planning framework you can begin using this week.
PANDEMIC is the third book in Matthew G. Booker's Leadership Game Series, following Snakes and Ladders and Checkmate. It stands alone as a complete leadership guide and works as the capstone of a trilogy that takes leaders from understanding their environment, to mastering their own strategy, to building the team that wins together.
Organizations don't overcome complexity because of one extraordinary leader. They overcome complexity when they develop a culture where people communicate openly, understand strengths, respond together, and empower others. The cure is not a person. The cure is the culture.
Also from
Booker, Matthew G.
Snakes and Ladders: A Guide to the Game Running Underneath Every Organization.
Booker, Matthew G.
Paperback
$17.40
Also in
Business General
Crucial Conversations Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, Second Edition
Patterson, Kerry
Switzler, Al
Grenny, Joseph
Paperback
$11.99
The Pig and I: The Tale of Our Relationship with a Beast We Eat
Endresen, Kristoffer Hattleland
Hardcover
From $10.99
Inspired: Understanding Creativity: A Journey Through Art, Science, and the Soul
Richtel, Matt
Hardcover
$28.49
Quiet Girls Can Run the World: Owning Your Power When You're Not the Alpha in the Room
Holman, Rebecca
Paperback
$27.00
Inclusive Conversations: Fostering Equity, Empathy, and Belonging Across Differences
Winters, Mary-Frances
Paperback
$22.75
Disney's Land: Walt Disney and the Invention of the Amusement Park That Changed the World
Richard Snow
Hardcover
$10.99
Climb: Taking Every Step with Conviction, Courage, and Calculated Risk to Achieve a Thriving Career and a Successful Life
Gadsden-Williams, Michelle
Brown, Carolyn M.
Paperback
$15.15
The Token: Common Sense Ideas for Increasing Diversity in Your Organization
Farmer, Crystal Byrd
Paperback
$14.24
Paris Chic & Trendy: Designers' Studios, Hip Boutiques, Vintage Shops
Ribes-Tiphaine, Adrienne
Paperback
$6.99
The Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life After AI: How to Think about Artificial Intelligence--Before It's Too Late
Doctorow, Cory
Paperback
$16.20
The Let Them Theory: A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can't Stop Talking about
Robbins, Sawyer
Robbins, Mel
Hardcover
From $17.99
Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect
Guidara, Will
Hardcover
From $11.99
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Managing Yourself, Updated and Expanded (Featuring How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton M. Christensen)
Gallo, Amy
Review, Harvard Business
Drucker, Peter F.
Paperback
$25.60
The Risk Worth Taking: A Story of Breaking Free and Trading for a Life You Love
Ijeoma, Teri
Hardcover
$23.75
Focused & Fearless Leadership: Preventing the Crisis Before It Starts
Overton, Melissa Godwin
Paperback
$18.95
The Retire Sooner Method: The 5 Secrets Behind America's Happiest (and Unhappiest) Retirees
Moss, Wes
Hardcover
$21.80
1873: The Rothschilds, the First Great Depression, and the Making of the Modern World
Ahamed, Liaquat
Hardcover
$28.80
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Mental Toughness, Updated and Expanded (Featuring How to Stop Worrying about What Other People Think of You by Michael Gervais)
Duckworth, Angela L.
Review, Harvard Business
Gervais, Michael
Paperback
$25.60
The Goal: 40th Anniversary Edition: A Process of Ongoing Improvement
Goldratt, Eliyahu M.
Cox, Jeff
Paperback
$23.70
Take Breaks, Work Better: Measure Impact, Not Hours, and Transform Your Profitability
Briggs, John
Paperback
$19.90
How to Be a Rich Old Lady: Your Guide to Easy Investing, Building Wealth, and Creating the Wild, Beautiful Life You Want
Holden, Amanda
Hardcover
$27.00
Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High
McMillan, Ron
Patterson, Kerry
Grenny, Joseph
Paperback
$22.80
How We Could: The Framework to Lead Without Drama, Build Alignment, and Call Teams to Greatness
Dorr, Alex
Hardcover
$26.55
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Leadership, Updated and Expanded (Featuring Begin with Trust by Frances X. Frei and Anne Morriss)
Ibarra, Herminia
Review, Harvard Business
Edmondson, Amy C.
Paperback
$25.60
The Everywhere Millionaire: Who Is Really Rich in America and How They Got There
Zidar, Owen
Zwick, Eric
Hardcover
$31.34
Money Unlocked: How to Make It, Keep It and Multiply It: The New York Times Bestseller
Lee, John
Paperback
$18.04
The Freedom-Based Business Method: Reset, Systemize, and Realign Your Business to Live a Life of Harmony
Ellis, Natalie
Hardcover
$26.59
The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living
Hanselman, Stephen
Holiday, Ryan
Hardcover
From $12.99
Surrender to Lead: The Counterintuitive Approach to Driving Extraordinary Results
Kriegel, Jessica
Terry, Joe
Hardcover
$28.49
The Courage to Commit: Embrace the Radical Power of Sticking with Something
Johnson, Shawn
East, Andrew
Hardcover
$30.40
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (Pmbok(r) Guide) -- Eighth Edition and the Standard for Project Management
Project Management Institute
Paperback
$113.05
Who Moved My Cheese?: An A-Mazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life
Johnson, Spencer
Hardcover
$26.60
The Infinity Machine: Demis Hassabis, Deepmind, and the Quest for Superintelligence
Mallaby, Sebastian
Hardcover
$28.80
Conversation: How to Connect with Anyone & Make Every Interaction Count
Van Edwards, Vanessa
Hardcover
$30.40
The Mom Test: How to talk to customers & learn if your business is a good idea when everyone is lying to you
Fitzpatrick, Rob
Paperback
$23.99
The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy
Stanley, Thomas J., PH. D.
Danko, William D., PH. D.
Paperback
From $11.99
Dummies Guide to Starting Your Own Business: Essential Steps to Launching and Scaling a Successful Small Business Venture
Press, Essywrites
Paperback
$15.59
7-Figure Educator: Turn Your Experience as an Educator Into Income, Impact, and Freedom
Jordan-Thomas, Erica
Paperback
$18.99
Get Scalable: The Operating System Your Business Needs To Run and Scale Without You
Deiss, Ryan
Paperback
$18.00
Confidence (HBR Emotional Intelligence Series)
Kanter, Rosabeth Moss
Chamorro-Premuzic, Tomas
Review, Harvard Business
Paperback
$18.99
The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More, and Change the Way You Lead Forever
Stanier, Michael Bungay
Paperback
$16.10
What the Heck Is Eos?: A Complete Guide for Employees in Companies Running on EOS
Wickman, Gino
Bouwer, Tom
Hardcover
From $11.99
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as If Your Life Depended on It
Raz, Tahl
Voss, Chris
Hardcover
From $14.99
I Will Teach You to Be Rich: No Guilt. No Excuses. Just a 6-Week Program That Works (Second Edition)
Sethi, Ramit
Paperback
From $11.99
Twenty Minutes Is the New Hour: The Ambitious Woman's Guide to Doing Less and Achieving More
Hauser, Fran
Hardcover
$28.50
The Overthinker's Guide to Making Decisions: How to Make Decisions Without Losing Your Mind
Nguyen, Joseph
Hardcover
$20.90
Stop Asking for Referrals: Build a Magnetic Business Through Intentional Care & Real Relationships
McNally, Flor de Maria
Paperback
$18.99
Hábitos Atómicos: Cambios Pequeños, Resultados Extraordinarios / Atomic Habits
Clear, James
Paperback
$16.10
The Eureka Machine: Why AI Is the Key to Unlocking a New Era of Scientific Discoveries
Socher, Richard
Hardcover
$28.50
Mindful Listening (HBR Emotional Intelligence Series)
Hougaard, Rasmus
Zenger, Jack
Review, Harvard Business
Paperback
$18.99
Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom Is Wrong--and What You Really Need to Know
Oster, Emily
Paperback
$18.05
Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience
Brown, Brené
Hardcover
From $14.99
Influence and Persuasion (HBR Emotional Intelligence Series)
Review, Harvard Business
Morgan, Nick
Cialdini, Robert B.
Paperback
$18.99
A Little More Social: How Small Choices Create Unexpected Happiness, Health, and Connection
Epley, Nicholas
Hardcover
$30.40
Building Great Businesses: Create Momentum, Overcome Setbacks, and Scale with Confidence
Becker, Scott
Hardcover
$20.90
Money to Burn: The Unvarnished Truth about Leon Black, Apollo, and the Rise of a New Wall Street
Cohan, William D.
Hardcover
$38.00
Crucial Accountability: Proven Skills to Build Trust, Address Disappointment, and Get Results, Third Edition
Patterson, Kerry
Grenny, Joseph
Hale, Justin
Hardcover
$20.90
Happiness (HBR Emotional Intelligence Series)
Gilbert, Daniel
Review, Harvard Business
McKee, Annie
Paperback
$18.99
Power and Impact (HBR Emotional Intelligence Series)
Review, Harvard Business
Cable, Dan
Bregman, Peter
Paperback
$18.99
Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving in
Patton, Bruce
Fisher, Roger
Ury, William
Paperback
From $11.99
The Algorithm: The Hypergrowth Formula That Transformed Tesla, Lululemon, General Motors, and Spacex
McNeill, Jon
Hardcover
$28.50
Mindfulness (HBR Emotional Intelligence Series)
Langer, Ellen
Goleman, Daniel
Review, Harvard Business
Paperback
$18.99
How to Work with Complicated People: Strategies for Effective Collaboration with (Nearly) Anyone
Leak, Ryan
Hardcover
$35.94
No Experience Necessary: Why Betting on Yourself in Your Twenties Is the Best Decision You'll Ever Make
Harary, Ronnen
Hardcover
$29.45
From Operator to Owner: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Running a Business That Doesn't Run You
Landry, Liz
Hardcover
$26.60
The Way of Excellence: A Guide to True Greatness and Deep Satisfaction in a Chaotic World
Stulberg, Brad
Hardcover
$26.99
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Strategy, Updated and Expanded (Featuring the Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy by Michael E. Porter)
Kim, W. Chan
Review, Harvard Business
Porter, Michael E.
Paperback
$25.60
Feedback That Works: How to Build and Deliver Your Message, Second Edition
Center for Creative Leadership
Paperback
$19.94
Take It Personal: How to Succeed by Building Relationships and Playing the Long Game
Grutman, David
Hardcover
$26.60
The Phoenix Project: A Novel about It, Devops, and Helping Your Business Win
Spafford, George
Kim, Gene
Behr, Kevin
Paperback
$22.80