Do you struggle to break through roadblocks in conversations?

If so, it might be time to start playing the “Yes, and…” game.

The rules are simple...

Whether you’re a new leader or have been in a leadership role for a while, successful leaders always look for ways to better themselves - to grow, learn, and sharpen. There’s no better way to take your leadership to the next level than by opening a book.

From young professionals to experienced executives, everybody has workplace pet peeves. For me, it’s managers forwarding emails to their employees without context or direction.

We all have a lot going on in our lives. From money to work deadlines, the list of things we worry about can often feel overwhelming. 

Clarity by Jamie Smart aims to help us deal with those issues by changing the way we think and teaching us about the way our minds work. It promotes the concept of "inside-out" thinking - the idea that we create our realities in our own minds. 

It is a must-read for anyone in a leadership position. 

In this detailed book review and summary, we’ll discuss how the author defines “clarity” and how he recommends we achieve it in our daily lives.

Ready? Let’s go! 

Some people have short-term, immediate goals. They want help getting ready for a presentation or preparing for an interview. 

Others have ongoing, long-term goals. They want to transition into a new role or strategically manage their workload.

Regardless of the exact nature of a person’s objective, the goal setting process is almost always the same. It follows these five steps:

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States. During his term, he modernized the economy, held the Union together throughout the American Civil War, and freed the slaves with the Emancipation Proclamation.

His actions had a more substantial impact on the fate of our nation than those of any President since George Washington. By any measure, he was one of our greatest leaders.

But what made him such an exceptional leader? What leadership traits made Lincoln's legacy stand the test of time?

Here are 113 memorable Abraham Lincoln quotes on life, leadership, power, and freedom:

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the ax.”

“The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.”

“I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.”

I was once told that “good leaders are good servants.”

I bristled at first, but soon came to realize this did not mean they are subservient or submissive. Rather, it means they made a conscious choice to tamp down their ego and become a good coach to their team.

Their main focus is on helping their players achieve peak performance. They dedicate themselves to the specific needs of each team member.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris is the true story of Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew who spent two and a half years at the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II. 

During his time at Auschwitz, Lale was called “Tätowierer” - the German word for tattooist. He received this name because he was forced to ink identification numbers onto the left arms of thousands of his fellow prisoners. 

These marks eventually became one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust.