Elizabeth Lotardo launched the LinkedIn Learning course ‘Leading Yourself’ in 2017. In 2020, as the world moved into remote work and many employees yearned for deeper meaning, she updated the course, which took off. In 2024, her movement captured over 1M learners on LinkedIn Learning and launched a bestselling book by the same title. It’s my #1 recommendation for the best book in 2024 on making it in the world of work. If you know someone who wants their current job to be the platform for major advancement, this is the book you should get for their holiday present!
I know I often felt lost as an employee. I had many jobs where I was unsupervised; sometimes, that felt like too much freedom. But, I chose to see every new opportunity as a milestone to a greater and more rewarding experience. Much of what I read in Lotardo’s book is exactly what I had to figure out for myself. I always wanted to share with my colleagues what I was doing so they could make their work worthwhile day in and day out, but I didn’t know how, and I did not have a systematic approach. That’s exactly what this book provides: how to do it systematically. And it’s not just a how-to; it’s tremendously inspiring. Some of the big takeaways:
- We all deserve to feel purpose at work. We deserve to have our expertise valued, opportunities to grow, and work with people we enjoy (most of the time). You have the power to give that gift to yourself.
- Leading Yourself is about controlling the controllable. It’s owning, from whatever seat you’re in, your work experience. Is work ever going to be perfect? No. Can it be better? Absolutely. Instead of waiting for the perfect job, the perfect boss, or the perfect market conditions, you can take the reins now, and create the work experience you want in the job you already have.
- A meaningful work experience isn’t something you find. It’s not some magic elixir of an emotionally intelligent manager, daily free smoothies, and a perfectly optimized workload. A meaningful work experience is something you create, and you can do it even in imperfect conditions.
- Leading yourself is a conscious choice to own your power, even when the industry, your boss, or rapidly changing technology makes you feel powerless. Identifying what we can control is the antidote to burnout. Recognizing that you’re in charge of you is what gives you the emotional freedom to create the career you want. It’s what gives you the authority to create the life you want.
As we move into our holiday season here in the US, it’s always good to have something to chew on that will give you rocket fuel when the new year of work starts. This book is it!
“The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.”
– Vince Lombardi
