Read to Lead Podcast

Read to Lead Podcast

By Jeff BrownBusinessEducationArtsBooksSelf-ImprovementManagement
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Read to Lead Podcast episodes

  • Episode #188: How to Lead When You’re Not In Charge
    Sometimes when I come across an author whose book I’d like to feature on the show, I’ll just reach out on Twitter inviting them on.
    It’s a great way to attempt to connect with an author I have no prior relationship with. Still, sometimes there is a response and sometimes not. In the case of Clay Scroggins, I got crickets.

    Don’t feel sorry for me, after all, he’s a busy guy (a pastor too, in fact). I knew that if it was “meant to be” it would eventually happen.
    A short week or two later, I found myself on a flight home to Nashville from a conference in San Diego. It was on the second leg of my flight (a red-eye no less), that I found myself next to a young woman enjoying one of my favorite pastimes. Yep. Reading.
    The next time she paused, I politely asked what it was she was reading. I suspected it was a business or leadership book based on the descriptions from the top corners of the pages. I could just make out things like “Lead Yourself” and “Think Critically” from the corner of my eye.
    That’s when she closed the book to reveal…you guessed it. How to Lead When You’re Not In Charge. It was then I shared my desire to have the author on my podcast and asked if I could snap a quick photo of the cover. Let’s just say my next tweet caught Clay’s attention.
    Join in on our chat below
    Subscribe: iTunes | Stitcher | RSS

    In today’s episode, Clay to describe:

    * Breaking from the mindset that says “having the steering wheel” is the only way to lead
    * How leading well has less to do with your authority and more to do with your identity
    * What it truly means to “challenge up”
    * …and lots more!


    This Episode is Sponsored By Cloud Accounting Software FreshBooks
    FreshBooks is currently offering a month of unrestricted use to all RtLP listeners – totally free right now. And, you don’t need a credit card for the trial.
    To claim your free month, click here and be sure and enter ReadToLead in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section.
    If your business uses Freshbooks, and you’d like to share your experience with the Read to Lead audience, click the contact tab at the top of this page and let us know. Be sure and include “FreshBooks” in the subject line.

    Clay‘s Latest Book
    You can order How to Lead When You’re Not In Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority right now!
    Books Clay Recommends
    Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom by Catherine Clinton
    Jack: Straight from the Gut by Jack Welch
    Mo’ Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove by Ahmir “Questlove” T...
    33 min
  • Episode #187: Live Your Startup Dream Without Leaving Your Day Job
    I was first introduced to today’s guest well over a year ago by former Read to Lead guest Amy Whitaker.
    Amy joined us back in episode #134 and, soon after, made the introductions via email. Unfortunately, it was an intro I completely dropped the ball on. Patrick and I exchanged pleasantries, and that’s as far as it went.

    Turns out Patrick and I are both fairly busy, neither of us remembering this introduction until, that is, I was searching my Gmail inbox for some last-minute info I needed to check on before chatting with him.
    The moral? Simple. Better late than never. 🙂
    Patrick’s now 18-month-old-and-still-incredibly-relevant book is called The 10% Entrepreneur: Live Your Startup Dream Without Quitting Your Day Job.
    The key, you see, is diversifying your work portfolio, just as you do your financial one (you do that, right?). In The 10% Entrepreneur, Patrick first makes the case for why you need to think like one (Part I of the book), and follows it up with exactly h0w to go about it (Part II of the book).
    Want to spread your entrepreneurial wings AND keep the current security of your day job? Click the play button below.
    Join in on our chat below
    Subscribe: iTunes | Stitcher | RSS

    In today’s episode, Patrick to describe:

    * What’s changed in the work world the last decade+ that necessitates thinking like an entrepreneur
    * Many of the benefits of part-time rather than full-time entrepreneurship
    * How becoming a 10% entrepreneur actually makes you a better employee at your job
    * …and plenty more!


    This Episode is Sponsored By Cloud Accounting Software FreshBooks
    FreshBooks is currently offering a month of unrestricted use to all RtLP listeners – totally free right now. And, you don’t need a credit card for the trial.
    To claim your free month, click here and be sure and enter ReadToLead in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section.
    If your business uses Freshbooks, and you’d like to share your experience with the Read to Lead audience, click the contact tab at the top of this page and let us know. Be sure and include “FreshBooks” in the subject line.

    Patrick‘s Latest Book
    You can order The 10% Entrepreneur: Live Your Startup Dream Without Quitting Your Day Job right now!
    Books Patrick Recommends
    Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist by Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson
    The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries
    The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Business L...
    35 min
  • Episode #186: Ending the Unconscious Habits that Hijack Your Business
    If you’ve been a member of the traditional workforce for any length of time, you’ve no doubt have come face to face with…ego.
    Truth is, we all have. It’s just that sometimes, it’s our own. Ego, Shayne Hughes argues, is single-handedly working sabotage our businesses every day.

    Shayne and I discuss this topic in depth along with his book, co-authored with Brandon Black, called Ego Free Leadership: Ending the Unconscious Habits that Hijack Your Business.
    I especially love how this book is structured, as it’s told from “two lively first-person perspectives.” The stories, all true, are woven quite effectively to help illustrate each of the authors’ points.
    If you’re looking to break some bad and unconscous leadership habits, read this now!
    Join in on our chat below
    Subscribe: iTunes | Stitcher | RSS

    In today’s episode, Shayne and I discuss:

    * Our preoccupation with self-worth
    * The power that empathy and vulnerability can bring to the workplace
    * How events from our childhood impact behavioral patterns that impact the course of our life
    * …and plenty more!


    This Episode is Sponsored By Cloud Accounting Software FreshBooks
    FreshBooks is currently offering a month of unrestricted use to all RtLP listeners – totally free right now. And, you don’t need a credit card for the trial.
    To claim your free month, click here and be sure and enter ReadToLead in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section.
    If your business uses Freshbooks, and you’d like to share your experience with the Read to Lead audience, click the contact tab at the top of this page and let us know. Be sure and include “FreshBooks” in the subject line.

    Shayne‘s Latest Book
    You can order Ego Free Leadership: Ending the Unconscious Habits that Hijack Your Business right now!
    Books Shayne Recommends
    Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
    Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
    Check Out These Resources Mentioned
    The best place to find out more about Shayne is at his website.
    Grab a copy of Shayne’s book.
    Find out more about hiring Shayne to speak to your group.
    Connect with Shayne on Twitter and LinkedIn.
    32 min
  • Episode #185: Building a StoryBrand with Donald Miller
    Late last decade, I had a blog where I often wrote reviews of some of my favorite reads. Big surprise, right? One of those reviews was about a book by a guy named Donald Miller.
    That same Donald Miller, or Don as I sometimes refer to him, is my guest this week on the podcast. I’m very excited as I’ve wanted to have him on for some time.

    After writing a number of memoirs, three of which have spent time on the New York Times bestseller list, his latest book is all about sales and marketing. It’s called Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen.
    I ask Don to give us a birds-eye view of the 7 elements of great storytelling to grow your business. He not only does that but a whole lot more.
    Prepare to have your mind blown
    Join in on our chat below
    Subscribe: iTunes | Stitcher | RSS

    In today’s episode, Donald and I discuss:

    * What a StoryBrand is and why it works
    * How to use the 7 elements of great storytelling to grow your business
    * The importance of helping your customers achieve ‘identity transformation’
    * …and plenty more!


    This Episode is Sponsored By Cloud Accounting Software FreshBooks
    FreshBooks is currently offering a month of unrestricted use to all RtLP listeners – totally free right now. And, you don’t need a credit card for the trial.
    To claim your free month, click here and be sure and enter ReadToLead in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section.
    If your business uses Freshbooks, and you’d like to share your experience with the Read to Lead audience, click the contact tab at the top of this page and let us know. Be sure and include “FreshBooks” in the subject line.

    Don‘s Latest Book
    You can pre-order Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen right now!
    Books Donald Recommends
    The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency by Chris Whipple
    Psycho-Cybernetics: Updated and Expanded by Maxwell Maltz
    Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
    Check Out These Resources Mentioned
    The best place to find out more about Donald is at his website.
    Grab a copy of Don’s book.
    Check out the free StoryBrand software Donald mentioned.
    Connect with Donald on Twitter and
    42 min
  • #185: Building a StoryBrand with Donald Miller

    Whether you are the marketing director of a multibillion dollar company, the owner of a small business, a politician running for office, or the lead singer in a rock band, Building a StoryBrand will forever transform the way you talk about how you are, what you do, and the unique value you bring to your customers.

    42 min
  • Episode #184: Alan Alda on The Art and Science of Relating and Communicating
    Over the course of my life, I’ve had the opportunity to interview and meet a lot of interesting and amazing people. It’s one of the many reasons I love it so much.
    But if, when I started this project, you’d have told me I would one day interview today’s guest, I wouldn’t have believed it.

    I’m talking of course about the beloved American actor Alan Alda. Lucky for me (and for you) he’s written a book whose subject matter ties in quite nicely with a podcast like Read to Lead.
    It’s a book all about the art and science of relating and communicating, something anyone who hopes to be successful has to do well.
    There are plenty of bad examples around us of course. But, if you want to avoid being one of them, then today’s episode is for you.
    I encourage to check out his latest book called, If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look On My Face?: My Adventures in the Art and Science of Relating and Communicating.
    Join in on our chat below
    Subscribe: iTunes | Stitcher | RSS

    In today’s episode, Alan and I discuss:

    * The genesis for his founding the Center for Communicating Science
    * How his experience as an actor and with improv has changed the way he relates to people on a daily basis
    * What he’s learned about empathy’s relationship to effective communication
    * …and lots more!


    This Episode is Sponsored By Cloud Accounting Software FreshBooks
    FreshBooks is currently offering a month of unrestricted use to all RtLP listeners – totally free right now. And, you don’t need a credit card for the trial.
    To claim your free month, click here and be sure and enter ReadToLead in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section.
    If your business uses Freshbooks, and you’d like to share your experience with the Read to Lead audience, click the contact tab at the top of this page and let us know. Be sure and include “FreshBooks” in the subject line.

    Alan‘s Latest Book
    You can order If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look On My Face?: My Adventures in the Art of Science of Relating and Communicating right now!
    Alan in Action

    Books Alan Recommends
    The works of Ernest Hemingway
    The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA by James Watson
    Check Out These Resources Mentioned
    The best place to find out more about Alan is at his website.
    Grab a copy of Alan’s book.
    Check out some of the programs offered through
    32 min

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