The Important Thing

I was happy to learn the author of my favorite leadership blog is putting out a podcast. It doesn’t disappoint. Great variety of topics and I always learn something. Keep up the good work!

Hi Everyone, I have been a long time fan of Rands works - found his blog, dove into his books, and have enjoyed the first and second iterations of The Important Thing a great deal. This podcast is great for me with a nice mix of clear focus on a topic (you can skip one - I wouldn’t), a decent amount of depth, and often a look in on someone else’s lives and says of thinking. In this episode I especially enjoyed the reminder that it takes time to learn a new skill set - especially the more abstract ones like what management means. I’m definitely looking forward to parts 2+ on management - I’m sure Rands and Lyle will have another great conversation in 6 months / 12 months that we’re all going to learn a lot from - or at least me. My only slight quibble is some of the tech speak that comes through. As an Aussie working in banking rather than an American working in tech what IC stands for / does was a mystery throughout this one. It didn’t take away, just acted as a distraction. ———— Going beyond this episode to the podcast as a whole - if a podcast convinces you to explore new things (in my case fountain pens, and the west wing weekly podcast) as well as helps you consider aspects of your job in a new way it can only be a good thing. Keep sharing the podcasts gentlemen, and keep the open, honest, frank and respectful conversation flowing. I’ve been enjoying it so far and I’m sure a lot of others have as well.

I could listen to Michael and Lyle talk all day. The breadth of topics is refreshing and every one has been relevant. Their conversations have enlightened me to what can make being a manager rewarding.

They could be more in depth or speak from an expert's point of view, but they settle on being an entry point for people without context. Meh.