Leveling Up - by Ryan Leak

Many self-help books I’ve read focus on being better in specific roles: being a better leader, employee, spouse, believer. And these days, many focus on self for self’s benefit. Ryan flips that idea on its head, challenging what a holistic, sustained better actually looks like. He explores how to pursue better - how hard, in what areas, in what order, and why. The reader starts with a free leveling exercise, after which Ryan walks you through the process of Leveling Up - raising your game in such a way that every part of your life benefits. The author has a rare gift in being able to casually bring you a deep truth; one second I’m reading about minivans, and the next second, I'm gently challenged on my view of things and how it’s working. Ryan never prescribes but always guides, giving me the freedom to think and act for myself. Some of the more poignant ideas Ryan helps us navigate through Leveling Up: --How has 41% of my life has been spent before I brush my teeth? --What’s it like to be on the other side of me? --What are my tendencies when it comes to giving and taking credit? --What kinds of insurance do I really need, but probably am not shopping for? --What is the fallout from always being right? --How do I manage the need to lead vs. the need to support? --What is a credit party? --How do I understand and improve my response to change? --How should I be more like Chick Fil A? --What is happiness in 3D? A couple of memorable quotes: "I didn’t start to question my definition of success until I started seeing successful people die by suicide or drug overdose.” “What we want is often flawed by what we wanted.” “You may not be able to be fully yourself everywhere, but you need to able to be yourself somewhere." Today’s increasingly self-centered (selfie, self help, self talk, self healing, self employment) world could use more people that have Leveled Up. And the challenge starts with me. You will love this book, and you can respect it knowing the author’s life is congruent with the content inside.

I am a huge Ryan Leak fan so when I was offered the chance to read and review his latest book, I jumped at the opportunity. While I read it from start to finish, I enjoyed that the chapters were independent of each other. The reader can venture to the chapter they currently want to focus on in order to "Level Up." There's no need to read the entire book, if you really want to focus on question 9. I enjoyed Ryan's quick wit and real-life examples for relating the question to experience. I invested in myself last year and hired a Coach; we had a session while I was reading this book and I told her I was reading it. She asked me if anything resonated. I said two questions stood out to me the most, "What Is My Definition of Success?" and "What Is It Like to Be on the Other Side of Me?" Yeeowza! These were two introspective and heavy questions that I didn't have the answer to. For all my life, my success was my team's success and while that's true, is that what MY definition of success is? Also, with my team, I tend to be transparent, open, animated, fun, accessible, flexible... while I think that's what people want, what is that experience for my team? I've not been in my current role long enough to have developed that trust system for feedback, but I want to know if I'm on the right path and will find the right people to work with me on my leadership style. Thank you Ryan Leak for breaking down these 12 questions into digestible, meaningful, relatable pieces. I truly enjoyed "Do This Now" at the end of each chapter as a quick way to put the chapter to work for my use and to use the tools the chapter gave me.

The questions in this book are unique and thought provoking. They were particularly timely in my life as I'm currently parenting a toddler while trying to climb the ladder at work. The content is very rich yet presented in a way that is easy to digest. My favorite chapter/question was the "Self-Awareness Question: What Is It Like to Be on the Other Side of Me?".This chapter brings a fresh perspective on self-awareness and challenges readers to think about their impact on others. My next favorite chapter/question was "The Vision Question: What Is My Definition of Success?". I think everyone needs to read this chapter given the culture and unprecedented times that we live in. The book not only walks the reader through life changing questions, it also includes practical exercises for application. Leveling Up is precisely what I needed as a young professional trying to win at home and at work! God bless!

This book is special! It's not just a book. It's an experience in personal transformation that will benefit everyone you know and lead ... including you. Most leadership books miss the mark for me. They lay out a ladder of difficult steps I try to climb only to find the ladder leads up to the wrong window. Leveling Up is so powerful and unique because it helps you become a better leader by first becoming a better person. The genius of giving leaders questions to ask themselves instead of a set of steps is groundbreaking - some of these questions I have never asked myself, others I haven't asked in way too long. My advice is this: do not read this book; experience it, walk with it, and work through it. If you do this you will not just be a better person and leader, but you will be going in a better direction. My favorite concept was 'what is it like to be on the other side of you? What is it like to be led by you? What is it like to be married to you?' I was properly challenged in 100 ways at once. Ryan cracked the code on how to communicate 'do unto others as you would have them do unto you' into a leadership context. Ryan Leak is one of the best leadership communicators in the world ... and he is one of the best humans I have ever known. He lives this book, and this authenticity shines through the pages of Leveling Up. I invite you to make this book, and especially the questions in this book, an annual read, it is that good.

"Err on the side of generosity" "Happiness is a choice" "Enjoying life is an attitude" "Do you know what is like being on the other side of you?" These are a few of the quotes I wrote in my journal while reading this book. Ryan gives you the tools to search deep within to be a better version of yourself in all realms of life. I did not just read these comments, I took a moment of silence to really think about what he was saying and how it relates to me personally, how I can become a better employee, parent, spouse and friend. Ryan is an inspirational person who truly is passionate about helping people become better in every facet of life. The way the book is written makes you feel like Ryan is sitting beside you and speaking only to you and guiding you thru life. Leveling Up is a book for all, from top level executives to someone who is starting out on their life journey. Everyone who reads this book will become a better version of themselves in all areas of life.

I began reading Leveling Up just before walking away from my job in the worst circumstances. I came into this book looking for and expecting some inspiration and guidance in finding the next right job and excelling. What I found in these pages was instead a magical mirror. Have you ever felt really good about how you look when leaving the house, only to pass by your reflection at some point during the day and be surprised by what you see there? I swear my reflection in the mirror at my house looks way better than my reflection in the glass door at the office. What I see in each reflection is affected by perspective. And to get an accurate picture, I need to see myself from different perspectives. The twelve questions in Leveling Up are like a mirror that allows you to see yourself from multiple viewpoints, some that you may have never even considered. The Self-Awareness Question took me the longest to get through because I had to keep stopping to write down notes and think about how I saw myself and how others might see me. The Assist Question had never entered my mind, yet I now realize that it is one of the essential parts of who I am and should factor into my personal decisions and all of my work-related ones. As an avid and highly detailed planner, I didn't expect to get too much from The Schedule Question, and yet I found multiple ideas and techniques that I have already been able to put into practice. Do I recommend this book? Wholeheartedly. This book has valuable wisdom and tools to help you crush your personal, work, or family goals no matter where you are in your career or personal life.

One of my favorite things about Ryan's last book, Chasing Failure, is that it was easy to read and impactful for everyone from high school students to teachers, coaches, parents, businessmen and businesswomen. Ryan's writing style makes it seem like he's sitting across the table from you just having a conversation. I normally sit down and read a book cover to cover fairly quickly. I quickly realized that wasn't going to happen with Leveling Up. Instead, each chapter caused me to pause and really sit with my thoughts and self-reflection. Sometimes it was days before I moved onto the next question. After reading two chapters, I opened the book on the third day. Instead of picking up right away with chapter three, I went to the table of contents and read the twelve questions. On that day, I was personally struggling with the loneliness that can sometimes come with success, and "Chapter 12: The Transparency Question - Who knows who I really am?" jumped out at me. The three dangers of "Code-Switching" stopped me in my tracks. Each chapter has a thought-provoking question that can really apply to anyone from a teenager to stay-at-home parent to a top executive. We should all be asking ourselves these questions and really sitting with the answers, reflecting on if we like our status quo or if we want it to change. As a leader, this book is one I'm going to come back to time and time again. Reflecting on these questions and then taking action will undoubtedly make me a better leader, a better colleague, a better wife, and a better mother. Thanks Ryan for asking the tough questions.