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:
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!