Reboot by Jerry Colonna: Worth the Read
I just finished a great book called Reboot by Jerry Colonna. The founder of Kramer Leadership, Rob Kramer, recommended the book and his suggestion was spot on.
Before Jerry began coaching entrepreneurs and CEOs, he worked in investment banking. He brings a Buddhist sensibility to his coaching and focuses on coaching the person, not their title.
In his words:
Just as shooting stars are best glimpsed peripherally, we must rely on others to help us see how our disowned positive and negative attributes are determining our conscious lives.
I think his book will help you glimpse yourself in a new way. The following quotes will give you a taste of what you’ll find in his book:
On Fears and Insecurities:
“Remember, the higher up the pole the monkey climbs, the more his ass shows.”
“Listening opens that which pain has closed.”
“We move away from the source of our strengths- our core beliefs, the values we hold dear, the hard-earned wisdom of life- and toward an imagined playbook listing the right way to be.”
“Tell me the brilliant ideas, the innovations that move an organization-a community of people forward that spring from panic and fear.”
“We want movement that demonstrates that our experience is meaningful; that it's taking us someplace; a place where we are smarter, richer, healthier, less afraid, more secure.”
Questions Worth Asking…
“How are you complicit in creating the conditions of your lives that you say you don't want? How does that complicity serve you?”
“Are you using work as a prop for self-meaning?”
“Stop spinning, stop pitching me, stop telling me you're crushing it. Sit still and ask yourself why things are the way they are and why they aren't the way you'd like them to be.”
“If you could give up the need for measurable progress, if you give up the pursuit of purpose and meaning... and focus on doing what is right and true each day, it feels like you'd live in congruency with your truest self.”
“What am I not saying that needs to be said? What am I saying that is not being heard? What's being said that I'm not hearing?”
On Leadership…
“Learning to lead yourself is the hardest part of becoming a leader.”
“When we start our leadership journey together, my clients frequently assume that the hardest part of their job will be figuring out what to do, what strategies to deploy, what business models to operationalize. Like so many, they have been seduced by the notion that being a leader means having all the answers, solving all the problems, and telling everyone else what to do.”
“The alchemy of becoming yourself is the ultimate magic act and the fullest expression of leadership.”
“Give me the steps, Jerry. How do I build a business? How do I raise money" How do I hire people? How do I fire people?" All genuine, important questions, but really all a proxy for the deeper questions. Am I doing it right? Is it supposed to feel this confusing? Will it ever feel safe, warm and happy?”
“When leaders fail to look at themselves, they turn their inner turmoil and very human contradictions outward.”
“How would we feel if our children were to work for the company we've created or the team we lead?”
My copy of Reboot is marked up, dog eared and will be read again. I hope these quotes inspire you to buy the book and jump in. It's worth the time.