In today’s episode, we interview Darren J. Gold. Darren is the author of Master Your Code:  The Art, Wisdom, and Science of Leading an Extraordinary Life.

The book was based on a letter that Darren wrote to his son following his graduation from high school and prior to his transition to college.  The inspiration to shape the letter into a book came after receiving positive feedback from a few thousand people who read the letter because it had been forwarded to them from someone else.  

Darren’s hope in publishing the book was to synthesize and crystalize the wisdom he had accumulated over the years both professionally and personally and offer it to others in a practical way.  

“We can’t change what we can’t see”- Darren J. Gold 

Darren explains the premise of the book is that we are all programmed by subconscious safety- based rules, beliefs and values that drive our behaviors and limit our results, which is our subconscious code.  If we want to live an extraordinary life we can consciously choose to rewrite the program and master our code.

In the book, Darren explores the ten crux rules, values, and beliefs that are part of our program and have the most significant impact on our life.  One of the shifts in programming is to seek to understand rather than be right all the time.  The challenge is we are programmed to see all conflicts as a problem to be solved where there is only one right answer or solution, when many of the conflicts are polarities with two right  and interdependent answers.    

Darren described his exposure to Polarity Thinking™ as “a piece of wisdom or a wisdom tool that changed the way I saw the world, which doesn’t happen often, but when it does I know it instantly”.   From his perspective, you can’t truly master your code unless you can distinguish and internalize the difference between problems to solve and polarities that can be leveraged.  

In the interview, we discuss how looking at Challenging and Celebrating your employees as a problem can lead to a false choice that you are either challenging them to get the most out of them or celebrating them and not getting the most out of them!   In the book, Darren shares more about how he leveraged Polarity Thinking™ to integrate the tension between these poles into his leadership and how it enabled him to develop a deeper understanding of his preferences and fears. 

Darren wanted every page in the book to add something, and he knocked it out of the park! 

If you are a healthcare leader who realizes your beliefs, values, rules, and old ways of thinking are not working anymore, this book is for you.  You won’t be disappointed!  

You may or may not have already realized, Master Your Code:  The Art, Wisdom, and Science of Leading an Extraordinary Life is a gift full of insights and inspiration.     

We could tell you the same holds true for this interview, but we will let you discover that for yourself!

Email us at [email protected] if you have any questions, we may use your question on a future episode.

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In this podcast, business leaders navigate the challenges of high-pressure jobs, tackling burnout, micromanagement, and decision fatigue while honing emotional intelligence, communication skills, and problem-solving abilities to strengthen their leadership identity. Through discussions on leadership development, stress management, conflict resolution, and time management, listeners gain insights into achieving work-life balance, overcoming the struggles of being overworked, and fostering personal growth in the ever-evolving workplace.