Author Archives

Jeff Brown

The Read to Lead Podcast is hosted by 26-year radio industry veteran Jeff Brown. Jeff is a voracious reader with a passion for non-fiction, specifically personal development, leadership, business, marketing and entrepreneurship.

Jeff has seen from personal experience how intentional and consistent reading can play an integral part in honing one's leadership skills and aide greatly in advancing one's personal growth. Jeff is also a firm believer in the mantra, "Leaders Read and Readers Lead."

Finally, this podcast would not be possible without the inspiration and encouragement of Dan Miller, Michael Hyatt, Jon Acuff and John Lee Dumas.

Posted on Tuesday, April 16, 2024

523: Small Actions, Big Impact with Drs. Adaira Landry and Resa Lewiss

by Jeff Brown

Today, I’m featuring one of the 9 books I’m most looking forward to in 2024.

This marks the fourth author (or authors, in this case) of the nine I’ve manage to showcase so far. Who knows, maybe I’ll eventually interview all nine!

Today’s guests are the coauthors of the book MicroSkills: Small Actions, Big Impact. I believe it to be the handbook that everyone who wants to be successful in their career needs to read.

The promise of this book is simple: if you buy this book on Friday, you will be better at your job by Monday.

MicroSkills is built on one core, easy-to-learn principle: every big goal, complicated task, healthy habit, and, yes, even what we think of as character traits, can be broken down into small, learnable, skills that can be practiced, and incorporated real-time. The doctors call these: MicroSkills.

I hope you’ll click the play button below to learn more about Dr. Landry and Dr. Lewis and there work. For a summary, just keep scrolling.

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Posted on Tuesday, April 9, 2024

522: How to Take the Lead, Play Bigger, and Multiply Your Impact with Liz Wiseman (an Encore Presentation of Episode 400)

by Jeff Brown

Today’s episode is a milestone episode in so many ways. It’s episode 400, of course, but several other “yours, mine, and ours” type milestones are also at play. To hear about each one of them, click the play button below.

Today’s guest, Liz Wiseman, has been one of my favorite leadership authors for the better part of fifteen years, ever since I first learned of her work with her first book Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter.

But Multipliers needs to now move over and make room on the shelf for her latest, as I feel it’s a book every employee, regardless of their title, should read.

It’s called Impact Players: How to Take the Lead, Play Bigger, and Multiply Your Impact.

Drawing on insights from leaders at top companies, Liz explains what the most influential players are doing differently, how small and seemingly insignificant differences in how we think and act can make an enormous impact, and why—with a little coaching—this mindset is available to everyone who wants to contribute at their highest level.

I hope you’ll click the play button below to learn more about Liz and her work. For a summary, just keep scrolling.

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Posted on Tuesday, April 2, 2024

521: The Future of Behavior Design with Dr. BJ Fogg (an Encore Presentation of Episode 324)

by Jeff Brown

While technically today’s featured book was released in 2019 (December 31 to be exact), I’ve dubbed it my favorite book of 2020!

Upon reading it, I immediately wanted to share it and attempt to teach its concepts to others. That, to me, is the mark of a great book.

What is this amazing book?

Well, it’s the New York Times bestseller Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything by Dr. BJ Fogg. Or, as BJ would now call it if he could rename it, Tiny Habits: The Future of Behavior Design.

The book sleeve on the front cover says confidently, “This book will change your life.” Just yesterday, my wife saw the book on my desk and asked if the claim was true. I answered with a resounding “YES!”

With breakthrough discoveries in every chapter, you’ll learn the simplest proven ways to transform your life. Whether you want to lose weight, de-stress, sleep better, or be more productive each day, Tiny Habits makes it easy to achieve.

Click the play button below to join our conversation now, or keep scrolling for a summary.

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Posted on Tuesday, March 26, 2024

520: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – 30th Anniversary Edition (an Encore Presentation of Episode 319)

by Jeff Brown

What an honor it is to be asked to participate in the launch of the 30th Anniversary Edition of the #1 business book of the 20th century!

And what a treat it is to talk to the son and namesake of the author himself, Mr. Stephen M. R. Covey.

I can honestly say, if the Read to Lead Podcast were to come to an end after today, I would be at complete peace with that.

Why? Because today I am privileged to conduct what is arguably the single most important interview of my 30+ year career.

Not only is Stephen M. R. Covey an accomplished author in his own right (with a New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling book under his belt), but he’s agreed to field questions from a handful of those impacted by his father’s book over the years.

By “those impacted” I’m talking about you! That’s right. Every question I’m posing to Stephen was submitted by a listener to the podcast.

Of course, the book I’m referring to is called The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: 30th Anniversary Edition.

This is a ‘can’t miss’ conversation!

Click the play button below to join our conversation now, or keep scrolling for a summary.

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Posted on Tuesday, March 19, 2024

519: The Practice and Shipping Creative Work with Seth Godin (an Encore Presentation of Episode 344)

by Jeff Brown

If I had to make the difficult choice of selecting just 20 books to access for the remainder of my life, I could do a lot worse than the 20 written so far by today’s special guest.

Seth Godin is special to me for a lot of reasons; not the least of which is he is almost singlehandedly responsible for helping rekindle my love of reading.

In fact, you could go so far as to say that, without Seth Godin, there’s a real good chance the last seven-plus years of my life would have been spent doing something else.

But thanks to his book Purple Cow, I’m here instead. And the beauty of that is, so are you.

Seth’s latest book, released last week, is called The Practice: Shipping Creative Work, and I am thrilled to dive into it in this episode with Seth and with you.

I hope you’ll click the play button below to join our conversation now. For a summary, just keep scrolling.

Join in on our chat below

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