482: How Leaders Can Move Teams From Isolated to All In with Steven Van Cohen

I was in a crunch for time the week I sat down with today’s guest and needed to get through his book (a seven- to eight-hour read) in a single day. What to do?

steven van cohen

I had a physical copy of the book in hand, but needed to get through it quickly. I decided to use one of my favorite speed reading tricks. I purchased the audiobook version. Then, following along in the physical book, I cranked up the audiobook to 2X speed. Instead of nearly eight hours, I was through the book in less than four!

Now, to be clear, you can do this with audiobooks (and podcasts) all day long if you like. But with books, unless you’re following along in either the ebook or have a physical copy, don’t expect to retain much of the book’s content later, let alone comprehend any of it.

Who is this guest and book? His name is Steven Van Cohen. His new book, co-written with Ryan Jenkins, is called Connectable: How Leaders Can Move Teams From Isolated to All, and connect we did.

I found Steven to be quite personable. He’s extremely good at what he does, as he’s been doing it for nearly two decades. Here’s a bit about what the book dives into:

The book covers how tackling the issue of worker loneliness head-on can transform an isolated workforce into one that’s happier, more engaged, and more productive.

Steven and his co-author, Ryan Jenkins, distill their methodology, showing you what’s causing today’s loneliness, the role inclusion plays in solving it, and how you can decrease loneliness and increase belonging, engagement, and performance with employees at every level―including yourself. 

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

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479: Finding Clarity, Confidence, and Courage with Dr. Heather Penny

Once in a great while, a book title just grabs you in a way that makes you want to stop what you’re doing right then and there and open it up to experience the gems you know are waiting inside.

dr. heather penny

I recently discovered just such a book, and its gems were numerous to say the least.

I’m talking about a new book titled The Life You’re Made For: Finding Clarity, Confidence, and Courage to Be Fully Alive by Dr. Heather Penny.

Heather helps you blaze a path to the life of your dreams through a transformative process she calls 3C Living. Her guidance helps individuals and teams get traction in their personal and professional lives.

Whether you’re new to executive leadership or are feeling like your career is on pause and your personal life is dragging you down, 3C Living provides a practical, proven blueprint to take you from where you are to where you want to be.

But don’t worry. This isn’t one more book about doing more. You’re probably already doing too much.

This is a book about building rest into your hectic schedule, recognizing and reducing mind chatter, identifying the Givers in your life as well as those who may be taking too much.

You’ll read about the art of receiving, how to “spiral up” rather than down, and how to pursue that unique dream that goes beyond just surviving day to day to actually thriving. Along the way, Heather provides a few simple exercises, questions, and cautions to empower you to stay on track.

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

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478: Protecting Your Brain in the Digital Age with Dr. Carl Marci

In the conclusion of my book Read to Lead (BakerBooks, 2021), I argue that the evolution of our brains have been adversely impacted by technology. That books helped rewire our brains in a positive way when they came on the scene hundreds of years ago, and that today’s screens—and the ways in which we interact with them—are undoing much of that rewiring.

dr. carl marci

One only need to read the book written by today’s guest to confirm my not-so-positive assertion.

It’s called, appropriately, Rewired: Protecting Your Brain in the Digital Age and it’s written by Dr. Carl D. Marci.

He says that living in an age of digital distraction has wreaked havoc on our brains―but there’s much we can do to restore our tech–life balance.

We live in a world that is always on, where everyone is always connected. But we feel increasingly disconnected. Why? The answer lies in our brains.

Dr. Marci, a leading expert on social and consumer neuroscience, reviews the mounting evidence that overuse of smart phones and social media is rewiring our brains, resulting in a losing deal: we are neglecting the relationships that sustain us and keep us healthy in favor of weaker and more ephemeral ties.

As a psychiatrist working at the forefront of research on the impact of digital technology, Dr. Marci has seen this transformation up close and developed a range of responses. 

Rewired provides scientifically supported solutions for everyone who wants to restore their tech–life balance―from parents concerned about their children’s exposure to the internet to stressed workers dealing with the deluge of emails and managing the expectation of 24/7 availability.

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

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477: Why Work is No Longer Working and What Do To About It with Seth Godin

Today is a real treat for me (and for you), as I get to welcome—for the third time—the person I consider to be one of the world’s greatest thinkers and authors. He’s certainly had a huge impact on me and my life.

seth godin

That thinker and author is the one and only Seth Godin. He’s written his twenty-first book, and today is the day we get to welcome it to the world.

It’s called The Song Of Significance: A New Manifesto for Teams.

Seth argues that real value at work is no longer measured by easy indicators of industrial productivity, but by effective personal interactions, innovation, creative solutions, and resilience. In a world ruled by remote work and artificial intelligence, leaders must disentangle themselves from the pervasive industrialized management system created in the early twentieth century and adopt a new leadership style that places humans at the forefront.

The futility of commanding people to care and managing for short-term results has become clear to
everyone. Instead, leaders must aspire to create the best jobs their employees have ever had while
creating conditions for systemic change. The emotional labor of employees who truly participate in an organization’s mission is the competitive advantage that all businesses need and what the exceptional ones produce.

In The Song of Significance, Seth provides a roadmap for the business leaders who are willing to
create a meaningful future while bravely rejecting the outmoded management models that are no longer serving us. As he writes, “Choosing significance is to dance with fear, and choosing fear
requires belief that what we’re doing matters.”

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

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476: Choosing Greatness and Achieving Exceptional Outcomes with Christina Curtis

Today’s guest is not only a podcast guest, she’s also the first guest expert inside the new premium tier of my online Read to Lead Community called Read to Lead+.

christina curtis

Her name is Christina Curtis, and she’s a thought leader on motivation and goal attainment, and regularly contributes to the Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Psychology Today.

Her new book, released earlier this month, is called Choosing Greatness: An Evidence-Based Approach to Achieving Exceptional Outcomes.

I read it from cover to cover and nearly ran out of ink in my highlighter while doing so.

Christina asks questions like, “Do you yearn to achieve more? Do you want to make more? Do more? Well, you are not alone. We are all drawn to the irresistible sensation of accomplishing great things and succeeding mightily.

Yet despite our best efforts, ultimate success and joy can seem so elusive. Why? All too often we are running on autopilot, repeating past behaviors, and achieving the same results.

In Choosing Greatness, Christina combines her decades of practical experience in business psychology and her conversations with some of the greatest leaders of our generation—Richard Branson, CEO of the Virgin Group; Javier Rodriguez, CEO of DaVita Inc.; Jonathan Johnson, CEO of Overstock.com; Teena Piccione, executive at Google; Lara Merriken, founder of LÄRABAR®; and more—to teach you how to unlock the full potential of the greatest change agent imaginable: your own mind.

In the space between instinct and outcome, between reflex and reflection, between ordinary and extraordinary, lies choice, she says. Her book provides clear, easy direction on how to live more consciously in that space so you can push your brain to operate with peak efficiency and precision.

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

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