200: A Look Back at 5 Killer Books on Public Speaking and Effective Communication

Wow, what a road this has been. Over 4 1/2 years after the podcast began, episode 200 is here. It has been an incredibly rewarding journey.

I’ve decided to take a look back over the last 100 episodes and feature 5 episodes that centered around one of my favorite topics.

episode 200

These episodes each touch on a topic I think is so important, I ask a question related to it of nearly every guest that comes on the show.

I’m talking about communicating, relating, and, more specifically, public speaking. The art of public speaking and the ability to relate effectively to other people is as important, in my view, as any skill you can hone. In fact, if I weren’t doing the Read to Lead podcast, I’d likely be doing a public speaking-related show. Maybe someday. 

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Episode #199: Hiring, Firing, and Creating an Amazing Team Culture

With Chris Mefford

Today marks a first in at least two ways. My guest appears on the show for the first time. And it is – to my knowledge – the first time a guest has appeared whose book came about, in part, by my personal encouragement and prodding.

Chris Mefford has been a long time friend, and I am as excited as anyone to see his hard work come to the masses.

chris mefford

That book is called Hiring, Firing, and Creating an Amazing Team Culture: A Practical Guide for Leaders in a Hurry.

Chris is the former Senior Vice President at Henry Cloud Productions, and former Vice President of Dave Ramsey Event Productions.

If you need help with understanding how to hire, even fire, hold your team accountable, and build a winning culture in your company, no matter the size, then Chris is here to help.

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Episode #198: How to Be the Leader Creative People Need

With Todd Henry

Today’s guest joins a rare group of people. He’s now one of only four people to have appeared on Read to Lead three times.

It is an honor and a delight to welcome back Todd Henry as he celebrates the release of his fourth book!

todd henry

Todd has appeared previously to talk about Die Empty: Unleash Your Best Work Everyday (October ’13), and Louder Than Word: Harness the Power of Your Authentic Voice (July 2015).

His most recent book, which officially releases today, is called Herding Tigers: Be the Leader That Creative People Need.

No matter what creative field you’re in, Herding Tigers will give you the confidence and the skills to foster an environment in which clients, management, and employees have a product they can be proud of and a process that works.

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Episode #197: The Secrets of Effective Leadership

With Brad Lomenick, author of H3 Leadership

I’ve known today’s guest by reputation (it’s a good one) but our paths, until recently, had never crossed.

But who would discover the Read to Lead Podcast while searching through iTunes attempting to find a few decent leadership-based podcasts? Yep, that’s right. Brad Lomenick.

brad lomenick

After skimming past shows, Brad realized he and I had a lot of mutual relationships. So, what did he do? He immediately visited the website, clicked over to the contact page, and contacted me directly. And here we are!

If you’ve ever heard of the annual Catalyst Conference which takes place in Atlanta each year (with one-day events in other cities), Brad Lomenick is the mastermind behind the event. Yep. He’s Catalyst Brad!

His most recent book, released in September of 2015, is called H3 Leadership: Be Humble, Stay Hungry, Always Hustle.

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Episode #196: 5 Steps to Achieving Your Most Important Goals

With Your Best Year Ever author Michael Hyatt

To say I’ve been anticipating sitting down with today’s guest for a long time would be a major understatement.

Since Read to Lead began back in mid-2013, Michael Hyatt has been on my short list of people to seek out. If you’ve ever read my About Page, you know his is among the names I’ve included as having influenced my personal growth and development over the years.

michael hyatt

He’s even responsible for helping me name the show, though he didn’t know it at the time. You see, it was Michael who I first heard say, “Leaders read and readers lead,” and “Leaders are readers.”

When I was trying to decide what to call this podcast I’d conceived, I remembered back to those quotes and quickly realized the show’s name was hidden in there somewhere.

Today, Michael is here to talk about a subject I believe he’s better-suited to speak on that just about anyone I know.  That subject is goal setting.

Michael’s new book, out today, is called Your Best Year Ever: A 5-Step Plan for Achieving Your Most Important Goals. In a word, it’s incredible!

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