The Learn-It-All Leader: How Good Decisions Equal Success | Damon Lembi

Built to Finish

Damon Lembi, a two-time bestselling author, podcast host, and the founder and CEO of Learnit, shares his perspective on leadership and decision-making. He discusses the central concept from his book, "The Learn It All Leader," which contrasts "learn-it-alls" who are humble and open to new ideas, with "know-it-alls" who are stuck in their ways. A key decision highlighted in his career was the acquisition of a local competitor right before COVID, a move that proved to be highly successful.

The conversation also explores common decision-making pitfalls for leaders, such as making rash, emotional choices, not involving the right stakeholders, and waiting too long for complete information. Lembi emphasizes that creating a culture of learning starts with leadership and involves giving and receiving feedback effectively to foster psychological safety. He shares personal anecdotes about mistakes made in his entrepreneurial journey, including over-expanding the business and making a poor hiring choice for a COO. The discussion also touches on the impact of AI on business and the motivations behind both Lembi and Pivnik writing their respective books.

Takeaways:

• Key Decisions for Success: Identify and take advantage of strategic opportunities, such as acquiring competitors. For example, Damon mentioned acquiring a local competitor before COVID for a fair price, which significantly benefited their growth.
• Avoiding Decision-Making Pitfalls: Leaders should avoid making rash or purely emotional decisions, involve the right stakeholders, and consider multiple options rather than viewing decisions as binary choices.
• Continuous Learning Culture: Promote a culture of continuous learning within your organization, starting from the top. Leadership should model learning behavior, encourage feedback, and create an environment where people feel safe to innovate and make mistakes.
• Effective Utilization of AI: Leverage AI to optimize tasks and challenge assumptions. Use AI as a sounding board to review plans and gain new perspectives, thus enhancing decision-making processes.
• Rereading and Implementing Book Strategies: Instead of reading multiple new books annually, focus on deeply understanding and applying the lessons from a few key books that resonate with your goals. Implement these strategies thoroughly for better results.
• Smart Promotions: Carefully assess why an individual wants a leadership role before promoting them. Ensure they have the necessary skills and desire for leadership to avoid disrupting their performance and team dynamics.
• Learning from Mistakes: Reflect on past mistakes (dummy tax) to avoid repeating them. Damon shared his experience of overexpansion and making hasty executive hiring decisions without proper due diligence, emphasizing the importance of careful planning and patience.

Quote of the Show:

• “As an entrepreneur, as a leader, you gotta get comfortable with getting outta your comfort zone and putting your story out on paper and sharing it with the world"

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damonlembi/
• Personal Website: https://www.thelearnitallleader.com/
• Company Website: https://www.learnit.com/
• “The Learn It All Leader”: https://a.co/d/h5nTxco
• “Good Decisions Equal Success”: https://a.co/d/4IO3RU3

Ways to Tune In:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ghmiiaRwVtQ9kqqqvmVQY
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/built-to-finish/id1781753842
• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/665cacbf-79ed-4745-8856-1d8465943c65
• Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/built-to-finish-5907037
• YouTube: https://youtu.be/n1Sgp1-DCHQ