The Learn-It-All Podcast 175: 5 Books That Made Me a Better Leader—and How I Actually Applied Them | Damon Lembi
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:
- Uplevel yourself and your team at Learnit.com
- Email us: podcast@learnit.com
- Follow Damon on LinkedIn
- Follow Damon on Instagram