Tim Hughes spotlights two Michael Earls books in two months

Author and enterprise cloud and AI leader Michael Earls landed two books on two of Tim Hughes’ executive reading lists within two months, boosting visibility for his work on leadership in the age of AI. The picks underline a growing audience for advice on how executives can add direction, not just speed, to digital transformation.

Why it matters: - Two Michael Earls books reached Tim Hughes’ executive reading lists in a short span, signaling repeated attention from a well-known sales and leadership author. - The recognition puts Earls’ message in front of executives focused on AI, strategy and leadership under pressure to move faster. - The selection reinforces a broader theme in Earls’ work: speed alone does not improve organizations without clear direction.

What happened: - In September 2026, Tim Hughes added Finding Direction in the Age of AI to his Executive Bookshelf. - On October 22, 2026, Hughes featured The Digital Compass: Finding Direction When Everything Moves Too Fast in The Executive Leadership Playbook. - Hughes is co-founder and CEO of DLA ignite and author of Social Selling and Smarketing. - The two selections came within about two months of each other.

The details: - Hughes described Finding Direction in the Age of AI as “the refreshing, deeply human wake-up call that today's tech-saturated corporate world desperately needs.” - Hughes called The Digital Compass a counterintuitive reality check on pressure to move faster. - Hughes summed up the book’s core idea as: “speed without direction is just expensive noise.” - Earls said executives are “short on direction” rather than speed. - Earls said misread signals and misaligned priorities can turn noise into stalled AI projects, unproductive meetings and teams that are available but rarely present. - Earls said being “radically human in a digital world” means deciding what deserves attention before tools do. - Earls said having a second book chosen showed the message is reaching the leaders it was written for. - Earls also thanked Hughes for the care he puts into every review. - The Digital Compass presents a four-direction framework for leaders to use in a single day or across a full strategy. - North means what actually matters. - East means what leaders let in. - South means how they spend their time. - West means what they choose to ignore. - The book completes a three-book series that also includes Finding Direction in the Age of AI and Wired for Purpose: A Daily Devotional for IT Professionals.

Between the lines: - The double selection suggests Earls’ message is resonating with leadership readers who are looking for practical guidance, not just AI commentary. - The framing around direction, attention and discernment positions Earls’ books as tools for leaders trying to manage digital overload. - Hughes’ list placement gives the books added credibility in executive circles because the reviews sit alongside titles on strategy, sales, intelligence and the future of work.

What's next: - The full Executive Leadership Playbook is available on DLA ignite’s blog. - Earls says all three books are available on Amazon. - More information about Earls is available at michaelearls.com. - Earls also maintains social profiles on LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube and X.

The bottom line: - Two book placements in two months gave Michael Earls a fast-moving endorsement from a prominent executive-education voice, and the message is clear: leaders need direction as much as speed.