Category Archives: Podcast

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514: How to Fix the Always-On Culture of Business with Malissa Clark

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For the second week in a row, I’m delighted to welcome a guest whose book made my list of the 9 books I’m most looking forward to this year.

malissa clark

That guest is the University of Georgia’s Malissa Clark. She’s written a new book, released just last week, called Never Not Working: Why the Always-On Culture is Bad for Business—and How to Fix It.

Malissa says that many workers believe that, in order to compete with other top talent, they must embrace a culture that rewards long hours and a constant connection to work.

In fact, businesses and society endorse busyness, overwork, and extreme commitment as the most valued traits in workers. Sometimes that endorsement is explicit. More often it’s an implicit contract, a buildup of organizational and cultural norms and the adoption of new technologies that make it easy to tether people to work.

Either way, this workaholic behavior is unhealthy and counterproductive for workers and for organizations. And, according to Malissa, it’s time to fight back.

She shows you how to escape the trap of putting work at the center of everything and thus losing your well-being—or your company’s performance—in the process.

Her book is deeply researched and written for everyone from leaders to individual contributors. You might say Never Not Working is the essential guide to identifying workaholism in yourself and others and starting on the road to recovery.

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

Join in on our chat below

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513: How to Do More of What Matters to You with Ali Abdaal

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I’ve been a fan of today’s guest for several years and have probably watched over 100 of his YouTube videos. So, when the good folks over at Readwise reached out about making an introduction, I was elated.

ali abdaal

I’m talking about the world’s most-followed productivity expert, otherwise known as the one and only Ali Abdaal.

Ali has written a brand new book that was released this past December, and I am delighted to feature it, and my chat with Ali, in this week’s episode.

That book is called Feel Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You. It’s already appeared on a few bestseller lists and, at last check, already has over one thousand reviews on Amazon. Go Ali!

We think that productivity is all about hard work, Ali says. That the road to success is lined with endless frustration and toil. But what if there’s another way?

Ali, though, has uncovered an easier and happier path to success. Drawing on decades of psychological research, he has found that the secret to productivity and success isn’t grind – it’s feeling good. If you can make your work feel good, then productivity takes care of itself.

Armed with Ali’s insights, you won’t just accomplish more. You’ll feel happier and more fulfilled along the way.

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

Join in on our chat below

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512: How Smart Leaders Make the Right Things Easier and the Wrong Things Harder with Huggy Rao

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When your name is Huggy, surely people can’t help but like you. And after meeting today’s “Huggy,” all I can say is, “What’s not to like?”

Huggy Rao

Huggy Rao, along with Robert Sutton, have written a new book, out today, called The Friction Project: How Smart Leaders Make the Right Things Easier and the Wrong Things Harder.

Every workplace, Huggy says, is clogged with friction—the convoluted, time-consuming, and soul-crushing gyrations that drive people crazy and undermine organizational performance.

Countless employees, executives, and customers bemoan hours lost to mazes of red tape, “efficiency tools” that become anything but, and clueless leaders who pile on needless complexity, all of which make it far too difficult to get necessary things done at work, and can burn out workers in the process.

But not all friction is bad. Striving toward a “frictionless organization” is a misguided goal, because too many organizations also make the wrong things too easy to do. Good friction exists inside organizations to help slow things down when careful consideration is needed for better and smarter decision-making.

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

Join in on our chat below

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

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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

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510: Answer These 5 Questions to Build Your Legacy

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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

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