Podcast Episode Details

175: 5 Books That Made Me a Better Leader—and How I Actually Applied Them | Damon Lembi

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Episode 175

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Reading books doesn’t make you a better leader—applying them does. 

In this solo episode, Learnit CEO and bestselling author Damon Lembi shares five books that have fundamentally shaped how he leads, makes decisions, and builds high-performing teams. But this isn’t a generic reading list. Damon reveals exactly what he took from each book—and how he’s put those lessons to work. 

If you're looking to lead with more intention, clarity, and impact, start here.

In this episode, you’ll learn: 

• The 3 big leadership lessons Damon took from Lincoln 
• Why introverts often make the best leaders 
• A decision-making framework every exec should master 
• How to shift your org from hierarchy to teamship 
• Why you can’t afford to ignore AI (and how to start) 
• How to get real ROI from your reading habit 
• What “learning without doing is treason” really means 
• Why biographies beat business books (most of the time) 

 

Timestamps: 

00:00 – The most powerful leadership tool: reading (with intention)  

01:10 – Book #1: Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin  

01:40 – Embracing diverse viewpoints and emotional control  

03:00 – Lincoln’s “hot letter” method: emotional intelligence in action  

04:00 – From criticized novice to strategic mastermind: Lincoln’s growth  

05:00 – Book #2: Quiet by Susan Cain  

05:45 – Why introverts lead best by listening, not commanding  

06:45 – Advice for introverts—or leaders who manage them  

07:30 – Book #3: Decisive by Chip & Dan Heath  

08:15 – The WRAP framework: smarter decisions, less regret  

09:00 – How Damon used it to rethink a CFO hire  

10:00 – The 10/10/10 rule for cooling emotional decisions  

10:45 – The trap of confirmation bias—and how to escape it  

11:15 – Bonus: Damon’s book Good Decisions = Success  

11:45 – Book #4: Never Lead Alone by Keith Ferrazzi  

12:30 – Teamship vs. traditional leadership  

13:10 – Why open candor beats conflict avoidance  

13:45 – A roadmap for building trust, feedback, and collaboration  

14:30 – Book #5: AI-Driven Leader by Jeff Woods  

15:15 – Why AI is a mindset shift—not just a tool  

15:45 – Damon’s example: building a comp plan using AI  

16:30 – The 4-part prompt framework for high-impact AI results  

17:00 – Bonus Book: The Learn-It-All Leader by Damon Lembi  

17:30 – Being vs. Doing: Two halves of the leadership equation  

18:00 – Final thought: Apply what you read—or it doesn’t count 

Resources & Mentions: 

• Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin: Amazon 
• Quiet by Susan Cain: Amazon 
• Decisive by Chip & Dan Heath: Amazon 
• Never Lead Alone by Keith Ferrazzi: Amazon
• AI-Driven Leader by Goeff Woods:  Published on 6 months, 2 weeks ago