In a business landscape increasingly shaped by AI and rapid technological change, "The Elevated Team" emerges as one of 2025’s must-read business books. Releasing in Q2 of 2025, the book is written by Whale CEO, Gary Vanbutsele.
It’s not that we’re biased, but written by our CEO, Gary V, this comprehensive guide tackles one of the most pressing challenges facing modern businesses: how to build and scale high-performing teams in an era of constant disruption.
Why This Book Matters Now
"Running a business in 2025. Absolute Chaos,” says Gary Vanbutsele, author of The Elevated Team.
As businesses grapple with the integration of AI tools and the evolving nature of work, "The Elevated Team" presents a practical framework that couldn’t be more timely. Drawing from his experience helping thousands of companies streamline their operations, Vanbutsele shares insights gained from both his entrepreneurial journey and his work helping businesses transform their teams through systematic knowledge sharing and process optimization.
Some of our BEST business Books in 2025
- The Elevated Team – we had to put this at the top of our list
- Simple Scaling
- Software as a Science
- Traction
- The E-Myth – a classic that remains relevant over time.
A Business Book with a Difference
Everyone has advice to give. And there has been great advice! Jim Collins told us to go from Good to Great. Peter Thiel helped us go from Zero to One. And Salim Ismail (Autor) and Peter H. Diamandis taught us about Exponential Organizations.
The differentiating factor in The Elevated Team is the book’s framework adapted to working in an AI-driven world.
The Flywheel Concept: A Fresh Take on Business Growth
At the heart of "The Elevated Team" is the innovative Flywheel Framework – a systematic approach to building self-sustaining business momentum. Much like a physical flywheel that becomes easier to turn as it gains momentum, this framework shows how each element of team development reinforces and accelerates the others.
The book breaks this down into four critical stages:
Stage 1: SOP Documentation – Building Your Foundation
The journey begins with creating clear, actionable Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). This isn’t just about writing documents – it’s about capturing your business’s critical knowledge in a way that’s actually useful. The book provides practical guidance on:
- Identifying which processes to document first
- Creating SOPs that people will actually use
- Making documentation accessible and maintainable
- Avoiding common documentation pitfalls
Stage 2: Employee Training – From Knowledge to Action
With your processes documented, the second stage focuses on effective knowledge transfer. The book challenges traditional training approaches, introducing methods for:
- Building a culture of continuous learning
- Implementing contextual learning strategies
- Creating training programs that stick
- Overcoming the "forgetting curve"
Stage 3: Real-Time Application – Making It Work
This stage bridges the gap between theory and practice. It shows how to:
- Embed processes into daily workflows
- Use tools like smart checklists and contextual suggestions
- Drive consistent execution across teams
- Ensure widespread adoption of best practices
Stage 4: Continuous Improvement – Driving Growth
The final stage closes the loop, showing how to:
- Measure the impact of your efforts
- Build effective feedback loops
- Turn insights into actionable improvements
- Tie process excellence to business growth
What makes this framework powerful is its cyclical nature – each stage builds momentum for the next, creating a self-reinforcing system of improvement. As the flywheel gains speed, excellence becomes the natural outcome rather than a constant struggle.
What’s to Love about The Elevate Team Book?
The Book offers Practical Implementation
Rather than staying in the realm of theory, "The Elevated Team" provides detailed, actionable steps for implementation. Each chapter includes:
- Clear chapter takeaways
- Real-world case studies from diverse industries
- Practical challenges to apply concepts immediately
- Stage-specific "cheatsheets"
It’s Written for Today!
The book directly addresses contemporary challenges:
- Integration of AI tools in business processes
- Remote and hybrid team management
- Digital transformation of traditional operations
- Contextual learning in the age of information overload
Deep Dive into Contextual Learning
The book provides valuable insights into contextual learning and its critical role in modern business operations. The Elevated Team demonstrates how delivering knowledge at the point of need – rather than through traditional training methods – can dramatically improve team performance and operational efficiency. This practical approach to knowledge sharing has proven particularly relevant for businesses dealing with rapid growth and change.
Why The Elevated Team is 2025’s Best Business Book
Several factors make "The Elevated Team" stand out:
- Timeliness: As businesses navigate post-pandemic realities and AI integration, the book’s focus on building resilient, adaptable teams is crucial.
- Practicality: The framework is immediately applicable across various industries and company sizes.
- The FlyWheel approach: The book introduces the flywheel approach
- Results-Focused: Every concept ties directly to business growth and measurable outcomes.
Who Should Read The Elevated Team
- Founders and CEOs looking to scale their operations
- Operations leaders seeking to improve team performance
- HR professionals responsible for training and development
- Anyone involved in building and managing teams
The Bottom Line
"The Elevated Team" is more than just another business book – it’s a comprehensive operating system for modern business growth. In a year when many business books focus on AI and technology, the author reminds us that human teams, properly structured and supported, remain the key to sustainable success.
What makes this book truly special is its ability to bridge the gap between theory and practice. It takes systemization and turns it into something tangible, practical and most of all, profitable.
While many business books tell you what to do, "The Elevated Team" shows you how to do it, step by step, while building momentum for continuous improvement.
For anyone looking to build a more efficient, scalable, and engaged organization in 2025 and beyond, "The Elevated Team" is an essential reading. It’s not just about building better processes – it’s about creating an environment where excellence becomes the natural outcome.
FAQs about The Elevated Team and Other Business Books
When is The Elevated Team being released?
The Elevated Team is being released in Q2 of 2024
What are the best business books?
The top 10 business books are;
- The Elevated Team – we had to put this at the top of our list
- Software as a Science by Dan Martell and Matt Verlaque
- Traction by Gino Wickman
- The E-Myth – a classic that remains relevant over time.
- Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
- The Art of Possibility: Transforming by Benjamin and Rose Zander
- Diary of a CEO
- The Power of Habit
- Simple Scaling
- The Gap and the Gain
Why should I read The Elevated Team
Why should you read this book? Because unlike most business books that sound like they were written by someone who hasn’t run a company since flip phones were cool, this is real. This is the framework I built while scaling my own companies—first to save my IT services firm from total chaos and then as the foundation for Whale, the company I co-founded to help other businesses stop drowning in theirs.
We’ll answer this direct with a quote from the book and from Gary;
“Here’s the deal with the Elevated Team Framework: it works. Whether you’re running a SaaS company, a manufacturing plant, or a chain of coffee shops, the fundamental challenge is always the same: how do you get your team to operate at their best without you having to micromanage every decision?
Could you figure this out on your own? Sure. I did. But it took years of mistakes, sleepless nights, and more near-burnouts than I care to admit. This book is your shortcut. It’s everything I wish someone had handed me when I was first trying to scale a business.
