Category Archives: Leadership

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310: Leading with Gratitude with Adrian Gostick

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When I first became aware of today’s featured book, I wasn’t convinced an entire book on the topic was necessary.

The idea of showing gratitude seems, well, pretty straightforward. We all know what it means, and most of us can recognize the value of showing it on occasion.

adrian gostick

The problem is most of us aren’t nearly as effective at is as we think we are (kind of like our assessment of our own driving skills).

And, as it turns out, there was much for me and, I think, you to learn about this soft skill.

Adrian Gostick is the co-author, along with Chester Elton, of Leading with Gratitude: Eight Leadership Practices for Extraordinary Business Results.

Together, they introduce eight simple ways managers can show employees they are valued. And, they supplement their insights and advice with stories of how many of today’s most successful leaders—such as Alan Mulally of Ford and Hubert Joly of Best Buy—effectively incorporated gratitude into their leadership styles.

Showing gratitude isn’t just about being nice, it’s about being smart—really smart—and it’s a skill that everyone can easily learn.

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309: Discussing the Art of Doing Nothing with Celeste Headlee

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Today’s guest wins the prize – if there indeed were a prize – for fastest repeat appearance on the show.

That’s right, we first heard from Celeste Headlee when we chatted about her last book.

celeste headlee

Her new book, out today, is called Do Nothing: How to Break Away from Overworking, Overdoing, and Underliving.

Wow, is it an eye-opener, challenging conventional wisdom on a number of topics.

From the book’s inner jacket: “Burnout is now classified as a legitimate medical diagnosis according to the World Health Organization. Do Nothing offers an understanding of how we’ve arrived at this point and how to break the cycle.”

Let’s indeed break that cycle, shall we?

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308: Cracking Complexity with David Benjamin

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When I was first presented with the idea behind today’s featured book, I’ll admit I was skeptical.

It seemed hard to believe that an actual formula could be applied to – and help solve – truly complex business problems.

david benjamin

My guest today, David Benjamin, along with his co-author David Komlos, have turned me into a believer.

Their new book is called Cracking Complexity: The Breakthrough Formula for Solving Just About Anything Fast.

In it, they share their cutting-edge, highly-engaging, step-by-step formula for cracking incredibly difficult and important challenges in just days, while helping mobilize those on y0ur team who must execute.

I think they’ve managed to deliver the defining handbook for current and future leaders.

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307: 30 Hacks for Bringing Joy to Your Job with Bruce Daisley

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It’s easy to fall into the mistaken belief that the way we work today is the way it has sort of always been.

In reality, what we know as work today has only been practiced for the last 200 years or so; a mere drop in the ol’ history bucket, if you will.

bruce daisley

My guest today on the podcast is Bruce Daisley, most recently Vice President of Twitter’s European division.

His new book is called Eat, Sleep, Work, Repeat: 30 Hacks for Bringing Joy to Your Job.

In it, he draws on both his experience at companies like Twitter, Google, and YouTube and his relationship with experts in psychology, economics, and behavioral science to offer 30 research-based hacks for bringing joy into our burned-out, unproductive work culture.

How, for example, does a lunch break create more productivity? Is it true that you can improve team performance simply by moving the coffee maker? How can walking meetings be a better alternative to the usual conference room?

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306: The Successful Speaker with Grant Baldwin

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My guest today has been a friend of mine for a few years now.

I’ve learned a ton from him just watching him and picking up on how he does what he does.

grant baldwin

What makes him special? In my opinion, he’s one of the best there is at his craft: the fine art of public speaking.

His name is Grant Baldwin and he’s written a brand new book, out today, along with four-time Read to Lead guest Jeff Goins.

It’s called The Successful Speaker: Five Steps for Booking Gigs, Getting Paid, and Building Your Platform.

Within a week of reading Grant’s book, I secured my own speaking gig worth thousands of dollars using the techniques I learned. It’s that good!

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My guest today has been a friend of mine for a few years now.

I’ve learned a ton from him just watching him and picking up on how he does what he does.

grant baldwin

What makes him special? In my opinion, he’s one of the best there is at his craft: the fine art of public speaking.

His name is Grant Baldwin and he’s written a brand new book, out today, along with four-time Read to Lead guest Jeff Goins.

It’s called The Successful Speaker: Five Steps for Booking Gigs, Getting Paid, and Building Your Platform.

Within a week of reading Grant’s book, I secured my own speaking gig worth thousands of dollars using the techniques I learned. It’s that good!

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

Join in on our chat below

Subscribe: iTunes | Stitcher | RSS

Continue Reading »