Reboot audiobook

Jerry Colonna has written a “must read for everyone on planet earth book” titled Reboot: Leadership and the Art of Growing Up.Jerry and I are extremely close friends and have been for 23 years. I first met Jerry when he was beginning his partnership with Fred Wilson at Flatiron Partners. But, I didn’t meet him through Fred. I met him through NetGenesis, a company I was chairman of at the time that had been started by Rajat Bhargava (who we still work with as CEO of JumpCloud), Matt Cutler (who we still work with as CEO of Blocknative). I won’t repeat the story of Brad, Jerry, eShare, and NetGenesis, but it makes me incredibly happy to reflect on 23 years of friendship, which nicely lines up with my 23 official years of marriage to Amy.Reboot: Leadership and the Art of Growing Up is extraordinary. It’s 100% Jerry, on every page, and is the book he was put on this planet to write.If you are an entrepreneur, investor, leader, or human being, do yourself a favor and read Reboot: Leadership and the Art of Growing Up. I’m serious – it will change how you think about yourself, leadership, and life.

The book was not what I thought it would be. And I'm grateful because I'd probably not read it. I didn't even know that I needed such a book. I needed it. I've read a lot of leadership books and almost all of them focused on one's external work. How you scale, delegate, have one-on-ones, motivate, what manager's tools you should use, etc. It's all about work focused on other people. Obviously, a very important topic. But the more experience I have the more I think that leaders should primarily work on themselves in order to be better leaders. As a leader, every insecurity, bias, doubt about your life, any voice in your head affects the people you lead. Maybe even more than what "manager's tools" you use. "Better leaders are better humans and better humans are better leaders" which means that "leadership lessons, then, are, at their core, lessons in humanity".The book doesn't have answers, but the author did a good job of making me sit still and think about stuff that is very often put aside as less important (which it isn't).It was not an easy read because just reading it probably won't add anything to your life. It's more like an exercise book. You need to work it through.

It’s hard to put into words the experience of reading this book. But I’m going to try anyway.This book was both what I expected it to be but also was not what I was expecting. It is truly "Jerry's book" and therefore one that goes very deep. This isn't your average business book that tells you how to scale your company or one that's handing out tons of unsolicited management and leadership advice on how to do things right.This book is an exploration of the self and what the self brings to the table when that self is responsible for leading a team or an entire organisation. It's at times uncomfortable to read. It's brutally honest and transparent. As is Jerry and the story he tells about his own path.What it does give you is an opportunity to look at the thing that's next to impossible to get actionable advice on without going deep: yourself.I've been a fan of Jerry's podcast for years yet this book still managed to surprise me and to go deeper, reflect more on the kind of human and therefore leader I want to be.I do recommend this book wholeheartedly. I'd give it six stars if I could. My caveat here is that as a reader, you should be open to exploring yourself and not just read it from cover to cover. It's a book best taken in slowly, page by page, reflecting on what's being said and on what and who you are in life and at work.Reading this book is like looking in a mirror page after page, with no way to avoid looking at yourself as you process every single one and explore the depth of Jerry’s words.

I had the privilege and great chance to work with Jerry both as a member of a leadership team and individually and he has helped me/us break open our hearts, radically inquire within, and create strong backs with an open heart. Jerry has made me a better leader and I am grateful that he now shares his wisdom and personal story with the world through this book. Thank you, Jerry.

If you have questions about your life, this book will invite you to ask even more.I found myself drifting off and then rewinding as questions sparked thoughts.I think any business owner or leader will find thought provoking questions here and develop a desire to attend a Reboot boot camp!

To be a good leader, we must be a good human. To be a good human, we need to face the ghosts in our machines and crows on our shoulders. Appreciate the personal journey Jerry shares. To be a good coach, we need to bring our full selves to the work we do.

Vulnerable, authentic, refreshing take on what it means to be whole, to practice radical self-inquiry, and to be a human.

Initially when I had picked up this book, I must have been closed minded to the idea that it would have much relevance to me as I am not a leader in my field, my family or friends. But I was intrigued by the 'Art of Growing up' section on the title and from some reviews that I had read, it was enough for me to purchase this book.By having this initial projection of myself not being a leader, I read the book not being able to relate to many of the stories, and thinking... 'he still has some good points that can be used in every day life'. As I continued to read though, Colonna really does practise what is being preached in his book, and even with my closed mind, he opened up my heart to his, his stories, the stories of the people he coaches, and the imaginary entities that surround us, the Crow, the Ghosts of the Machines, our Lone Warrior etc. (I love how he weaves each of these into the story and they all come together so beautifully at the end).It became such a beautiful experience reading this book, It no longer became a curiosity in 'how to do the right thing to become the right person' but it evolved into a humbling acceptance of having questions, and not necessarily having been told an answer, but rather than to continue to question until you have reached a unique answer to yourself, one that comes from your authentic being, through the lens of your upbringing, your experiences and your heart.I've began reading the book a second time, this time with love and appreciation towards how brave and courageous Colonna has been in sharing his life story and wisdom in becoming not only a better leader, but a better human. Leadership comes in many forms, but first and foremost it comes in leading your own life.

SummaryMany leadership books focus on tools and tactics: how to hire, how to build strong teams and 1:1’s, how to leverage your time, how to drive alignment, where and when to delegate. This book focuses more on how to “lead yourself”; inner state and reflective intelligence. It’s equal blend: 1. Stoicism: modern framing of the same wisdom.. Buddhism, zen, acceptance, etc.2. Therapy: Cognitive distortions, false-narratives we tell ourselves, childhood imprints. 3. Leadership: leading people, leading organizations, leading through challenge.Don’t expect a lot of answers. Instead, expect a series of rhetorical questions that will slow you down and might help you connect the dots between different parts of your life, your inner dialogue, and your leadership responsibilities. 4 stars for the uncommon approach, thoughtful prompt, and generally fast pacing. TLDR: “I believe that better humans make better leaders. I further believe that the process of learning to lead well can help us become better humans.”Jerry’s Story- Born one of 7 kids in a two-bedroom in queens, 1963- Mother had a sad and spiraling history of mental illness that eventually left her committed- Dad worked as a union man for years, but lost his job and economic security- Jerry grew up deeply anxious, and in his head. Big reader. - Ended up in VC and investment banking in the 90’s, super successful, but lost a lot in the economic crash and sep 11. - Wake up call. Leaned into his anxiety as a strength (empathy, seeing and untangling patterns)… instead of just a distraction of (making up fictions and noise). - Now one of the top exec coaches in the country with focus on startup ceo’sOn Chasing the Right Questions Busyness (particularly career/capital) can be a crutch, slowing down is hard. “Don’t mistake motion for meaning”. “Learning to lead ourselves is hard because in the pursuit of love, safety, and belonging, we twist ourselves into what we think others want us to be. 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 describing the right way to be.”“Give me the steps, Jerry. How do I get customers? How do I convince people to hire me? 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 existential questions: Am I doing it right? Is it supposed to feel this confusing? Will I ever feel safe, warm, and happy? Where do I belong? What do I want from this life? Am I worth it? Have I earned my place on the planet, in this life? And, of course, If my life isn’t unfolding as I expected, then what am I doing?We came to realize that the only answer to the existential question of “Does my life have meaning?” is, again, another set of questions: “In what ways have I been brave?” And “How have I been kind?”On Internal Dissonance “If you bring forth what is in you, what is in you will save you. If you do not bring forth what is in you, what is in you will destroy you.”Aliveness comes from living a life of personal integrity in which our outer actions match our inner values, beliefs, wishes, and dreams. I am living my purpose, living with aliveness, when I write, regardless of whether my words are published. This then defines our life’s work not as a path to be discovered (and certainly not by following someone else’s map) but as a way of being, where each day is a chance to live into the command to live with the inner and outer in alignment.I’d said that equanimity boils down to this: “Everything’s great, and I’m okay. Everything sucks, and I’m okay. Through years of radically inquiring within my broken-open heart, sitting still with that pain and its universal nature, I’ve been able to experience the occasional true equanimity.”On Interpersonal Conflict“Do you see it?” my therapist asks. “Do you see that the more you plot, the cleverer you feel? And the cleverer you feel, the more hooked on the anger you become? You nurse and feed that anger until you’re operating purely out of your shadow.” I look up startled, ashamed, feeling caught with my true feelings—my anger—revealed. My oh-so-clever facade of brilliant plotting and analysis was laid bare.Slow down when you get in fights. Notice the bodily sensations and narratives you are telling yourself.

To be a better leader, and human, read this bookHave you ever you come across a book that provides just the spiritual nourishment you were craving at the moment you needed it? To me, this is that book. I cannot express my gratitude to him to have written it. Jerry is an old friend and former colleague so I have a little personal experience with the magical insight he brings to his work as well as the forces that plagued him at the peak of his career in finance. He was always more honest about this than anyone I’ve ever met. And one of his gifts is recognizing these conflicts in other leaders, and showing them, through gentle but firm inquiry, how their patterns may be replaying in their leadership relationships, and what work it takes to resolve them with honesty and integrity. In this hugely readable book, he opens up even more to show the incredible path he’s been on to reconcile his childhood demons and through reading, retreats, therapy, and writing, find ways to break open his heart and become a warrior of radical self-inquiry. I’ve spent the last few years on my own self-inquiry journey, wrestling with similar issues and lightly dipping into some of the touchstones he discovered, along with a few others (Salzburg, Rohr, Katie). I felt like this book, more than any I’ve read lately, helped bring various strands of the inquiry together into sharp focus. He includes questions at the end of each chapter, and I started journaling with them after the first 10 pages. I’ve also worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs, and agree with Jerry that people in that role often discover patterns that once drove them and helped them succeed may not work forever. This book helps you see those patterns in others, and then in yourself, through easy to understand analogies-the Crow, the Loyal Soldier, and others. Jerry is a master coach and teacher, and you can literally use this book to benefit from his coaching, to explore what is holding you back, and to start to disentangle what it means for you to be a better leader, and more importantly, a better human. Or you can just enjoy the ride of wonderful writing and insight that knit together the personal with the pressures of modern entrepreneurial leadership. Either way, this book is a gem.

If you want to be a better leader, work to be a better person. This book explains why and how, through a deeply personal and affecting series of vignettes that unfold like a long walk with an old friend. I was both moved and challenged by it, the only questions left are the ones I need to answer for myself.

Not your typical leadership book. In fact, this book is for anyone seeking to live a whole and authentic life.

To grow as leaders, we need to be more mindful human beings who pay close attention to the things that have shaped our present behavior. This will improve and deepen the way we interact with colleagues and how we lead the team as a whole.Above all else, it pays to become more humans, courageous people, because that is the path to less-toxic workplaces and companies that act responsibly regarding their employees, communitites and the environment.So, take time for yourself outside of work.

Good book and a reminder that in many ways work and life are not separate. When we are blind to this, we inevitably create conditions that are difficult for us and those around us. Jerry describes all of this in a way that is unsurprisingly personal and heartfelt. By opening up himself, he demonstrates how radical self-inquiry and having the strength to step into the mouth of our demons and bring our colleagues along with us on this journey, can be an incredibly powerful way to lead. A book that I'd willing recommend to anyone leading, or looking to lead an organization, or in anyone in any kind of management position, or on a team with other people, or employed, or looking for employment...

This is a marvelous memoir and a mediocre book on coaching. I love his openness. And he's got a very poetic way of sharing his heart. But he stays at a high level with the psychology, with very little help on how to get from A-Z on the growth journey. And it's also very Buddhist, resulting in some part that I think are actually unhelpful in practice. So don't read this for the actual methods on how to face your fears and grow as a leader. But he's so good at making the emotional journey feel legitimate and beautiful that if you're looking for the inspirational/motivation book on the heart journey, then this is a good book.