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

The Learn-It-All Podcast

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: Amazon
• Good Decisions = Success by Damon Lembi & Kandis Porter: Learnit.com
• The Learn-It-All Leader by Damon Lembi: Amazon
• Learn-It-All Podcast interview with Geeff Woods: Listen on Spotify

Connect With Us:

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