Category Archives: Personal Development

Posted on

510: Answer These 5 Questions to Build Your Legacy

by

There’s no one I can think of who’s been as consistent in his encouragement toward what I do than Dan Miller.

And, he never stops learning. A habit I’m quite fond of. 🙂

Dan is the kind of person I want to be in the lives of others.

That’s why the first question I ask you to consider when pondering your own legacy is this:

Who has had the most significant impact on your life and why?

Answering this question will help you think about the kind of impact you’d like to leave on this earth.

In this week’s episode, I expound on this question, and offer four more for you to consider.

Additionally, I walk through three exercises that will go a long way to helping you establish your own, long-term legacy.

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, â€śLeaders read and readers lead.”

Posted on

509: The Impact of Dan Miller On Our Lives Continues

by

It still hasn’t quite sunk in for me. My friend, and a friend to so many around the world, Dan Miller, has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given less than six months to live.

Dan was my first-ever Read to Lead Podcast guest.

He appeared again in episode #067, and two more times after that, including just last year.

Dan is, of course, best known as the New York Times bestselling author of the book 48 Days to the Work (and Life) You Love.

His life has impacted millions, literally.

I must admit that, in light of the news, it has been difficult for me to find the motivation to go on as normal as the new year is underway.

Let me put it a little more plainly: This has hit me hard!

Hard enough that I’ve struggled with conducting new interviews and have relied on publishing interviews that were already “in the can” to finish out the year.

I have just needed some time to process.

I know what you’re thinking: “Jeff. You’re not the one with cancer.”

You are right.

My response to this news contrasted with Dan’s own response holds another valuable lesson for me (and for you).

While I’m over here wallowing, Dan is asking the same question he encourages us to ask in the face of any challenge.

“What does this make possible?”

Dan recognizes the blessing that is knowing your time is soon going to be up, and he’s making the most of it.

I would expect nothing less from Dan.

In this episode is my attempt to share what Dan means to me, as well as the thoughts of a few listeners who wrote me to share how Dan has impacted them.

At the end of the episode, I’ve intentionally added five minutes of silence. I encourage you to use this time to think about what truly matters to you. Maybe even think about how you would respond if told you had six months to live.

Thank you for being a part of the Read to Lead Community.

Click the play button below to listen to the episode

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS

Links That Were Mentioned

Check out Dan’s final episode of the 48 Days Radio Show.

Write your message for Dan on his Murial page here.

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, â€śLeaders read and readers lead.”

Posted on

508: The 9 Books I’m Most Looking Forward To In 2024

by

Like any other year before, there are literally tens of thousands of books set to be released this year. Needless to say, it can be hard whittling down what to pay attention to and what to ignore.

I’ve attempted to take some of the guesswork out of it for you by selecting nine books I’m really looking forward to reading this year.

Here they are in order of their release date.

Note that my first selection is actually a book that came out last week—making it, technically, a 2023 release. But it makes the cut as, well, I was a little busy this past week and am just getting around to diving in.

Trust me when I say you’ll be glad I’m including it here.

1. Feel Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You by Ali Abdaal (December 26, 2023) 

Note: I’ll be interviewing Ali later this month and releasing our conversation in early February.

2. Fluke: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters by Brian Klass (January 23, 2024). 

3. The Friction Project: How Smart Leaders Make the Right Things Easier and the Wrong Things Harder by Robert I. Sutton and Huggy Rao (January 30, 2024)

Note: My interview with coauthor Huggy Rao releases on January 30 to coincide with the book’s release.

4.  Never Not Working: Why the Always-On Culture Is Bad for Business—and How to Fix It by Malissa Clark (February 6, 2024) 

5. Practical Optimism: The Art, Science, and Practice of Exceptional Well-Being by Sue Varma MD (February 20, 2024)

6. Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection by Charles Duhigg (February 20, 2024) 

7. Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout by Cal Newport (March 5, 2024) 

8. Microskills: Small Actions, Big Impact by Adaira Landry and Resa E. Lewiss (April 16, 2024) 

9. Hyperefficient: Optimize Your Brain to Transform the Way You Work by Mithu Storoni (September 17, 2024) 

In addition to the two authors and books on this list I’m already set to feature on the show, I’ll be working to invite as many of the other seven as I can. 

For more detail about each book, 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, â€śLeaders read and readers lead.”

Posted on

507: Creating a More Human Future in the Era of AI with Brian Evergreen

by

These days, like you perhaps, I read just about everything I can get my hands on pertaining to artificial intelligence. Books on this topic a still few, but that’s beginning to change one year removed from the buzz that was the launch of ChatGPT.

brian evergreen

That’s why I was excited to learn about Autonomous Transformation, the new book by Brian Evergreen.

We are in the midst, Brian says, of an unprecedented degree of technology-driven change at the same time that society faces challenges more complex than our organizations and we as individuals have been prepared to handle.

We have all borne witness to the changes, for better and for worse, that technology has had on society, our nations, cities, the nature of work, and the human experience—but technology is neither the hero nor the villain of this story.

Brian’s book is for leaders who want to create a better future within this context of change and supplies a balance of historical and theoretical context with practical frameworks for beginning to create a more human future today.

The book provides a blueprint for leaders and managers who have aspired or attempted to harness artificial intelligence and its adjacent technologies for the betterment of their organization and the world, weaving strategy, management thinking, economics, systemic design, and philosophy into actionable steps with accompanying frameworks to create and sustain Profitable Good.

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

Join in on our chat below

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS

Continue Reading »
Posted on

504: Speak Up or Stay Stuck with Pam Marmon

by

Today’s guest is making her second appearance on the podcast. Her first was back in 2020 at the start of the pandemic. That book, called No One’s Listening and It’s Your Fault was geared to leaders.

pam marmon

Her new book is intended for managers and employees. It’s all about navigating the inevitable periods of change within an organization. It’s called Speak Up or Stay Stuck: Get Your Voice Heard When Fast and Forced Change Happens In the Workplace.

Your company is changing, Pam says, whether you like it or not. As a manager, you are expected to make that transformation happen, yet you feel voiceless, unseen, and unrepresented.

Change is not the enemy. It’s inevitable and it could be the key to your success. In Speak Up or Stay Stuck, Pam unpacks a practical framework for implementing organizational change while ensuring your voice is heard. Finally: the key to amplifying your message without jeopardizing your job.

You’ll discover how to communicate with senior leaders while effectively advocating for yourself and your team. Reclaim control and ownership of your work, grow your organizational change resilience, and find new ways to thrive when fast and forced change hits your workplace.

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

Join in on our chat below

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS

Continue Reading »