Category Archives: Personal Development

Posted on

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

by

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.

seth godin
Seth Godin image credit Darius Bashar and Archangel

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

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | RSS

Continue Reading »
Posted on

518: How to Speak Your Mind, Unleash Talent, and Live More Fully with Elaine Lin Hering

by

If there’s a topic not talked about all that much, it’s the topic of silence. The kind that says why speak up if you know that it won’t be received well and often makes things worse?

Today’s guest, Elaine Lin Hering, explores how we’ve learned to be silent, how we’ve benefited from silence, how we’ve silenced other people—and how we might choose another way.

She teaches ways to recognize and unlearn unconscious patterns so we can make more intentional choices about how we want to show up. Only by unlearning silence can we more fully unleash talent, speak our minds, and be more complete versions of ourselves…and help other people do the same.

Elaine’s new book releases next week on March 19 and you can pre-order it right now. It’s called Unlearning Silence: How to Speak Your Mind, Unleash Talent, and Live More Fully.

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

Join in on our chat below

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS

Continue Reading »
Posted on

516: Take Your Career From Accidental to Intentional with Scott Jeffrey Miller

by

One of my favorite people to watch over the years has been Scott Miller. He interviews tons of wonderful authors for his podcasts and other projects. I learn something new every time I watch him work.

I’m thrilled to be able to welcome him back for the second time to Read to Lead. The first time was back in 2019.

This time we’re chatting about his new book (surprise!). It’s called Career On Course: 10 Strategies to Take Your Career from Accidental to Intentional.

Most careers, Scott says, unfold accidentally, haphazardly, and with too much serendipity. That means lost traction, lost years, and lost opportunities. But your career doesn’t have to be that way! Career on Course unpacks the 10 steps that will take your career from accidental to intentional.

Drawing upon insights and best practices from three decades in professional and leadership development, Scott shares his proven process for creating a plan that empowers you to take control of your career.

The most successful professionals are those who have clarity, have a plan, live in accordance with their values, and know how to pivot in the face of disruption. Whether you’re just starting your career or you’ve found yourself stuck somewhere in the middle, this book will help you get your career on course

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

Join in on our chat below

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS

Continue Reading »
Posted on

515: The Top 5 Traits of a Servant Leader

by

Inside my online community, ReadtoLead+ members get access to a wide range of personal and professional development resources, including articles I publish not available anywhere else.

One of those articles I published just yesterday and I’ve decided to share it here in audio form to help give you a sense of the kind of content you’ll find inside, should you desire to join us as a member.

By the way, you can try it free for two weeks. Just go here.

If you decide to stay after your trial is up, it’s just $9 a month.

The topic of today’s podcast episode is leadership. But not just any kind of leadership. I’m talking specifically about Servant Leadership.

What is Servant Leadership exactly?

I posed that question to ChatGPT. Here is its response:

Servant leadership is a leadership philosophy where the primary goal of the leader is to serve others, prioritizing the growth and well-being of their team members and the communities to which they belong. It flips the traditional leadership model on its head, emphasizing the importance of humility, empathy, and the collective over the individual. Through traits like active listening, empathy, healing, awareness, and persuasion, servant leaders foster an environment of trust, collaboration, and mutual respect, driving organizational success from a foundation of shared values and goals.

Did you catch the Servant Leader traits ChatGPT referenced? Those traits are, in fact, the five I believe to be most important for Servant Leaders.

For the full rundown of my philosophy on each of these, just click the play button below.

Click the play button below to listen to the episode

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS

Comment and Share

Please consider rating the podcast with 5 stars and leaving a one- or two-sentence review in iTunes or on Stitcher. This helps tremendously in bringing the podcast to the attention of others.

We encourage you to join the Read to Lead Nation on Facebook. It’s a community of like-minded leaders and leader-to-be, as well as fans of the Read to Lead Podcast.

You can tell your friends on Twitter about your love of reading and our new podcast by simply clicking this link and sharing the tweet you’ll find at the other end.

And, by all means, if you know someone you think would benefit, please spread the word by using the share buttons on this page.

Finally, thanks for listening and remember, “Leaders read and readers lead.”

Posted on

511: The Brave Habit is Your Guide to Courageous Leadership with Todd Henry

by

Never has a guest appeared on the Read to Lead Podcast five times. In that the show is nearing its eleventh anniversary, though, the odds of that one day happening are increasing.

Todd Henry

In fact, that day is today, as Todd Henry indeed makes his fifth appearance on the podcast.

His new book is called The Brave Habit: A Guide to Courageous Leadership.

When your job requires you to solve problems, create things, or lead others through times of uncertainty, you have to make tough decisions when the stakes are high. Making the right call requires more than talent. It takes bravery.

Bravery, Todd says, is not reserved for the chosen few; it’s a skill and a daily practice that can be developed. And Todd’s book, The Brave Habit, provides a practical framework for courageous leadership and exceptional work.

We need you to lead. Will you choose to be brave?

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

Join in on our chat below

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS

Continue Reading »