The 10X podcast features leadership interviews, growth strategies and key takeaways from business and self-development books. The podcast is hosted by Preethy Padmanabhan (@preepadu). Listen and gain insights to drive 10X growth in your career, business and life. Tweet @preepadu with your comments on books or leaders you recommend to be featured in the podcast. Credits- Kavya Sethu
Episode 5: Dare to Lead
Guest - Robin Garcia-Amaya, Vice President, Chief of Staff, Operations, and Philanthropy, Gainsight
Book - Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts.
Author - Dr. Brené Brown
Leaders are always faced with overcoming new challenges, but the biggest challenge as they grow is to figure out how to be a great leader, everyday.
In this book, Brene Brown sets out to explore what makes truly daring leaders, detailing the four skill sets that sit at the heart of daring leadership: rumbling with vulnerability, living into our values, braving trust, and learning to rise. Brene Brown, based on her research with 150 global C-suite executives, answers the question, "What would it look like to combine courage, connection, and meaning with the world of work?"
Our guest speaker for this episode is Robin Garcia-Amaya, [designation]. Robin shares why this is her favorite book, how it helped her be bold and vulnerable, how it helped her define her non-negotiables, and her thoughts on building a courage culture within an organization.
Episode 4: Unapologetically Ambitious
Author & Guest - Shellye Archambeau, Board Director at Verizon Communications, Okta Inc, Nordstrom, Roper Technologies
Book - Unapologetically Ambitious
In this episode, I had the honor of talking to Shellye Archambeau, Silicon Valley's leading African American woman CEO and author of the book, Unapologetically Ambitious. She got candid about why she wrote the book, what it means to have sustainable growth, and discussed the need for companies to prioritize inclusion and diversity as a goal from the very beginning.
Too often, ambition is seen as a positive trait in men yet criticized in women. But Shellye Archambeau strongly believes that it is everybody's right to be ambitious. While she admits the book's name is quite a mouthful, she says it was purposely named so as it aptly conveys the core message of the book. Her book is more of a memoir than a guide. She recounts professional experiences, struggles, and accomplishments in the multiple roles that she held in the course of her journey — one that of a university student, employee, wife, mother, and CEO. In doing so, she advises aspiring leaders on the practical tools that they can employ to achieve both personal and professional goals. Her book details chapters on dismantling impostor syndrome, building your network, integrating work, marriage, and parenthood, establishing your reputation, and other crucial struggles that we encounter in our lives. The book teaches us what we can do to achieve success, as she did.
Episode 3: How will you measure your life
Guest - Madhavi Ravanan, SI Delivery Head - Telco Cloud at Nokia
Book - How will you measure your life
Author - Clayton Christensen, James Allworth and Karen Dillon
In this episode Madhavi Ravanan shared what inspired her read this book and what she took away after reading it, citing examples from her life and career.
The uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic has permeated every aspect of our lives. It has impacted not only our physical health but also mental and emotional wellbeing. It had led us to question where we are in life. In these trying times, it is all the more important for us to appreciate what we have and self-reflect on how we can lead a fulfilling life.
Through this book, Clayton Christensen provides valuable insights into some important questions: How can I be sure that I'll find satisfaction in my career? How can I be sure that my personal relationships become enduring sources of happiness? How can I avoid compromising my integrity—and stay out of jail?
He provides examples from the business world and draws parallels to our everyday lives, careers, and families. The book doesn't tell us how to apply the principles discussed. It merely teaches us how to think so we can figure out who we want to be.
Episode 2: Ego is the Enemy
Guest - Declan Waters, CEO, Waters Agency
Book - Ego is the Enemy
Author - Ryan Holiday
ego
noun
- a person's sense of self-esteem or self-importance.
A commonly debated question about ego: Is it wrong to have one?
By the above definition, it doesn't seem like a bad thing. Everyone needs to believe in themselves to strive forward. So why is ego perceived negatively?
Author Ryan Holiday defines ego as "an unhealthy belief in our own importance. Arrogance. Self-centered ambition." He gives his take on how our egos negatively influence us in the three crucial phases of our lives, i.e., when we aspire, succeed, and fail. He narrates his personal story and stories of leaders like Howard Hughes, Katharine Graham, Bill Belichick, and Eleanor Roosevelt, citing examples of how they conquered their egos to succeed.
Our guest speaker for this episode is Declan Waters, Founder and CEO, Waters Agency. Declan shares how this book helped him set and accomplish bigger goals, stay humble, and deal with failure.
Episode 1: The Gifts of Imperfection
Guest - Heather Jerrehian, C-level executive, investor, and serial entrepreneur
Book - The Gifts of Imperfection
Author - Dr. Brene Brown
Ever heard of the saying, it’s a small world? The internet has brought us all closer than ever. From the comfort of our couches, we can find out what’s happening with our friends, family, and even strangers living at the other end of the world. While this opens the gates to many opportunities, it also influences how we connect, view the world, and ourselves. We construct what it is to be perfect and continuously push ourselves to fit that image. Dr. Brené Brown, in her book, Gifts of imperfection, shares with us her research on the power of wholehearted living, how we can cultivate courage, compassion, and connection in our everyday lives, and recognize that we are enough despite our imperfections.
In this episode, Heather Jerrehian, a C-level executive, serial entrepreneur, and investor shares her insights on what this book meant to her and how Dr. Brené Brown’s ten guideposts helped her shape her career journey and life.