Learning From Leaders: Leaders are Readers

Podcast Summary

In the season three premiere, hosts Nick and Jeremy shift their focus toward continuous development with a theme centered on "Learning from Leaders." Exploring the foundational premise that everyone is being discipled by something, they challenge listeners to intentionally audit and curate what they consume. The hosts openly share their personal leadership journeys—including a candid confession from Jeremy about his early struggles with an arrogant mindset—and walk through an extensive list of their top resources. From S-tier leadership frameworks and culture-building principles to deep spiritual theology and the unexpected communication value of stand-up comedy, this episode provides a masterclass on curating an impactful personal library.

Show Notes & Timestamps[00:19] - Welcome to Season 3: Learning from Leaders

• Nick and Jeremy introduce the core premise of the new season: examining how leaders learn, who they learn from, and announcing upcoming guest leaders who will share their unique industry wisdom.

[01:22] - Overcoming an Arrogant Leadership Mindset

• Jeremy’s Marine Corps Confession [01:53]: Jeremy shares how his early rapid promotions in the military fed an arrogant mindset, causing him to reject a growth mindset and completely ignore reading for 10 to 15 years—a phase he now looks back on with regret.
• The Permission to Pivot [02:43]: Nick talks about breaking the mental barrier of feeling forced to finish every book he starts. He gives listeners permission to drop a book 10 pages in if the style doesn't fit, emphasizing that the commitment should be to learning, not to the book itself.

[05:56] - Top Leadership & Culture Books

• [06:12] It’s Your Ship by Captain Michael Abrashoff: An excellent lesson in resourcefulness and creativity, detailing how a captain turned the Navy's worst-performing ship into its best.
• [07:01] The Founder and the Force Multiplier by hergenRother: A resource centered on utilizing an Executive Assistant effectively, allowing them to carry heavy organizational weight.
• [08:02] Good to Great by Jim Collins: Regarded as a foundational, classic must-read for any executive.
• [08:12] The First 90 Days by Michael D. Watkins: The hosts give this book to every new hire to establish a successful mental framework for transition.
• [09:06] The One Thing by Gary Keller: A profound reality check exposing multitasking as a myth and forcing leaders to prioritize what moves the needle most.

[10:43] - S-Tier Mindsets & Organizational Matrices

• [10:43] The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth by John C. Maxwell: Highly praised for shifting leaders from a limited "goal mindset" (a fixed finish line) to a lifelong "growth mindset."
• [12:16] Working Genius vs. DISC Assessments: Nick outlines how DISC indicates what position a person plays on a team, while Patrick Lencioni's Working Genius maps out where they fit in the project lineup (e.g., dreaming meetings vs. execution meetings).
• [13:10] Death by Meeting by Patrick Lencioni: A roadmap to curing meeting fatigue by restructuring teams around targeted, efficient micro-meetings.
• [14:31] Culture Wins by William Vanderbloemen: A deep look at how workplace culture creates or kills teams, transforming a healthy office into an unstoppable corporate force.

[15:54] - Macro-Learning vs. Micro-Learning

• The hosts break down the value of deep, slow "macro" consumption (books, long-form content) versus quick "micro" consumption (Instagram, shorts, reels). Nick explains how he intentionally curates his children's algorithms to feed them micro-learning value [18:10].

[19:21] - Deep Spiritual Resources

• [19:25] Empowering Leadership by Michael Fletcher: Recommended for young leaders stepping into ministry frameworks.
• [19:44] Act Like Men by James MacDonald: A highly digestible 40-day foundational men's devotional.
• [20:11] The Intentional Father by Jon Tyson: Highlighted as a premier resource for parenting, passing down a legacy, and establishing biblical headship.
• [21:00] Soul Keeping by John Ortberg: Nick shares how this book pulled him out of a dry, overwhelmed season of ministry, noting that "balance is a myth, but soul care is mandatory."
• [21:52] Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders: A staple text for leadership development schools.
• [22:54] The God You Can Know by Dan DeHaan: Praised for translating massive, complex theological concepts into highly digestible "chicken nuggets" of truth regarding God's character.
• [24:02] The Reason for God by Tim Keller: A heavy, brilliant theological read that requires a slow, intentional process to chew on.

[27:22] - Bold Visions & Grit

• [27:22] The Circle Maker & Chase the Lion by Mark Batterson: Books focused on chasing God-sized dreams that are destined to fail without divine intervention.
• [28:38] Grit by Angela Duckworth: Understanding the secular psychology of perseverance and passion.
• [28:52] The AI-Driven Leader: Reminding listeners to check out the Season 1 interview with Rocky regarding AI's changing footprint in the marketplace.

[33:02] - High-Value Podcasts & Digital Follows

The hosts rattle off an elite list of creators they follow to sharpen their vocabulary, worldview, and communications, including:

• The Diary of a CEO Podcast [33:10]
• The Ed Mylett Show (Specifically The Power of One More) [