178: How to Audit Your Leadership Before It Breaks You | Damon Lembi

The Learn-It-All Podcast

Leadership isn’t just about what you do—it’s about who you’re becoming.

In this solo episode, Learnit CEO Damon Lembi shares a behind-the-scenes look at his personal leadership audit: a framework he calls “The 3x3.” You’ll hear the three things he’s improved, the three he’s stayed consistent on, and the three he still needs to work on as he reflects on 30 years of Learnit—and what it means to lead with intention in a fast-changing world.

Whether you’re a first-time manager or a seasoned executive, this episode will give you the tools (and courage) to take your own honest audit.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How Damon improved delegation—and the tool that changed everything
• Why your personal brand matters (and how to build one with humility)
• The “Purposeful Awfulizing” strategy for better decision making
• What it really means to be a people-first leader
• The 5 traits of a “Learn-It-All Leader”
• Why modeling behavior is more powerful than preaching it
• The danger of unclear purpose—and how to align your team
• Why every company needs an AI advisory board
• How to lead through change before complacency creeps in
• A challenge: Create your own 3x3 leadership audit

Timestamps:

00:00 – Why June 2025 marks a meaningful moment in Damon’s leadership journey

01:00 – The “3x3”: A framework for reflecting on leadership growth

01:45 – 1st area of growth: Delegation (and getting out of the weeds)

03:00 – How COVID accelerated trust and team ownership

03:30 – The Freedom Compass: What Damon let go of—and what happened next

04:50 – 2nd area of growth: Building a personal brand without ego

05:45 – Why every leader needs to be public-facing

06:30 – 3rd area of growth: Better decision making and avoiding sunk cost traps

07:10 – Controlling emotion, expanding options, and “Purposeful Awfulizing”

08:30 – Why even failed decisions are valuable if you learn

09:00 – 1st consistency: Being a people-first leader with psychological safety

10:30 – 2nd consistency: Living the traits of a Learn-It-All Leader

11:15 – Humility, Integrity, Courage, Accountability, Curiosity

12:15 – 3rd consistency: Modeling the behavior you want from your team

13:00 – What Damon still needs to improve (part 1): Clarifying shared purpose

14:00 – The North Star problem and Keith Ferrazzi’s diagnostic

15:00 – What remote work and silos have made harder—but not impossible

15:30 – What Damon still needs to improve (part 2): Navigating change in the age of AI

16:30 – Why urgency beats complacency—even when things are going “fine”

17:00 – What Damon still needs to improve (part 3): Building a formal advisory board

17:45 – Why outside perspectives are key to staying sharp and forward-thinking

18:30 – The 3x3 recap and challenge: Build your own audit

About Damon Lembi:   

Damon Lembi is a 2x bestselling author, the host of The Learn-It-All Podcast, and CEO of Learnit – a live learning platform that has upskilled over 2 million people. Drawing from his prior baseball career, Damon brings an athlete’s perspective to leadership. Through his journey, he has gained invaluable insights into what helps organizations grow, how great leaders learn, and why learn-it-all companies outpace their competitors every time.   

Resources & Mentions:

• The Freedom Compass from Michael Hyatt:
• https://fullfocus.co/the-undervalued-zone-of-the-freedom-compass
• Delegate to Scale Your Impact (Learnit course):
• https://www.learnit.com/courses/delegate-to-scale-your-impact
• The Learn-It-All Leader: Mindset, Traits, and Tools by Damon Lembi:
• https://a.co/d/azzNKWM
• Never Lead Alone by Keith Ferrazzi:
• https://a.co/d/4zOrfV3
• Good Decisions Equals Success by Damon Lembi & Kandis Porter:
• https://a.co/d/hJhnRJU
• “Purposeful Awfulizing” on Learn-It-All Podcast:
• https://pod.link/1714645917/episode/78c7db5b03a2f43e1dce6a4301e5be7c
• Damon Lembi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damonlembi

Connect With Us

• Uplevel yourself and your team at Learnit.com
• Email us: [email protected]
• Follow Damon on LinkedIn
• Follow Damon on Instagram