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499: Decision-Making, Project Management, and Workplace Engagement with Gerald Leonard

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The topic of project management has been the focus of only two other episodes of Read to Lead that I can think of: Episode 101 with Cesar Abeid, and Episode 277 with Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez.

Gerald Leonard

Frankly, it’s a topic that doesn’t get covered nearly often enough. Today, I work to change that a bit.

Our featured book is by Gerald J. Leonard and is called, A Symphony of Choices: How Mentorship Taught a Manager Decision-Making, Project Management, and Workplace Engagement—and Saved a Concert Season.

The book delivers a fascinating narrative following one Jerry Hall, the new Symphony Orchestra manager at a prestigious symphony concerned about the challenging plans for an upcoming season. In the book, you’ll watch him connect with a former college professor and learn the skills necessary to successfully manage his way through these unprecedented times in his business and personal life.

Does he have all skills necessary for effective decision-making and managing a major symphony’s portfolio of projects? Will his fear of succumbing to daunting challenges prevent him from succeeding?

Of course, you’ll need to read Gerald’s book for the answers. I can assure you it is well worth your time.

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

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498: How to Win with Clarity-Fueled Communications with Steve Woodruff

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I’ve yet to meet my guest today in person, but we live less than 30 minutes from one another. I think I need to work harder at changing that soon.

steve woodruff

His name is Steve Woodruff, and this will make his second appearance on the podcast; his first being about five years ago in Episode #243.

Steve’s new book, released just last week, is called The Point: How to Win With Clarity-Fueled Communications.

Clarity-fueled communications, Steve says, is the practice of using the fewest words to make the biggest impact. His book unveils how the overloaded human brain wants information packaged, and how to craft brain-friendly messages that break through the noise.

From email to sales pitches, from workshops to resumes, Steve’s Clarity Fuel Formula is the universal recipe for communications success. The Point includes four simple actions and eight compelling shortcuts that can be used by anyone to get to the point and get others on the same page.

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

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497: How to Create Self-Leading Teams That Win with Kyle Buckett and Chris Mefford

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One is a retired Navy SEAL. The other is an award-winning business executive. Together they’ve built a company called Culture Force. Dare I say both the company and their new book is a force to be reckoned with.

Kyle Buckett and Chris Mefford

Their new book (released August 29, 2023), has quickly become a favorite among those in my Read to Lead Community online. It’s easy to see why.

Leadership as it is, just isn’t working. Say Chris and Kyle, despite the countless seminars, courses, and management books designed to hone good leaders, over 79% of employees leave their jobs due to poor leadership. Why is this happening? Chris and Kyle argue that organizations need more than just leaders. They need successful teams.

Both Chris and Kyle are passionate about how our leadership model has failed and spotlight a new work culture that actually works. In their book, they draw on the SEAL model and on their decades of knowledge and experience coaching industry leaders to answer the question: what makes a productive team? The surprising truth is that behind every successful team is a cadre of empowered, self-starting employees.

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

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496: Build a Team, Stay Focused, and Make Better Decisions with David Dodson

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I’ve had the chance to interview a number of professor/authors in the past. Today’s guest is both of those things, but with decades of experience as a CEO and entrepreneur to boot.

david dodson

He is Stanford Graduate School of Business professor David Dodson. His new book is called The Manager’s Handbook: Five Simple Steps to Build a Team, Stay Focused, Make Better Decisions, and Crush Your Competition.

Managers, David says, desperately want a crisp, how-to book that will show them―in one single title―the way to master the most important skills necessary to run an organization. The Manager’s Handbook organizes the five essential skills of effective implementation into one, simple-to-read, easy-to-use, book. 

It’s an essential playbook for managers, executives, board members, and other business leaders interested in dramatically improving their ability to lead people and inspire loyalty.

You’ll learn how to get better at running any kind of organization by breaking down each essential skill into bite-sized sub-skills you can easily and quickly learn.

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

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495: Turning the Power of Mindset Into Action with Eduardo Briceño

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When the topic of the book your writing centers around mindset, and the one and only Carol Dweck (author of Mindset: The Psychology of Success) gives it a glowing endorsement, then yours is a book worth paying attention to.

eduardo briceño

Such is the case for my guest today, Eduardo Briceño. His new book, out now, is called The Performance Paradox: Turning the Power of Mindset Into Action.

To succeed in a fast-changing world, Eduardo says, individuals and companies know they must create a culture of growth, where experimentation and feedback are encouraged, and learning is integrated into the everyday. Yet we often get stuck in a well-worn pattern of habits that don’t move us forward. Why?

Because many of us get trapped in the Performance Paradox: the counterintuitive phenomenon that if we focus only on performing, our performance suffers.

How can we give ourselves the space to experiment and grow while also delivering high-level results? That is the ultimate question Eduardo’s book, and today’s episode, attempt to answer.

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

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