June: H3 Leadership: Be Humble, Stay Hungry and Hustle

Book Description

“In H3 Leadership, Brad Lomenick shares his hard-earned insights from more than two decades of work alongside thought-leaders such as Jim Collins and Malcom Gladwell, Fortune 500 CEOs, and start-up entrepreneurs. He categorizes twenty essential leadership habits organized into three distinct filters he calls “the 3 Hs”: Humble (Who am I?), Hungry (Where do I want to go?), and Hustle (How will I get there?). These powerful words describe the leader who is willing to work hard, get it done, and make sure it’s not about him or her; it’s about the leader who knows that influence is about developing the right habits for success. Lomenick provides a simple but effective guide to help one lead well in whatever capacity he or she may be in.”

Book Club Review

Thanks for being a part of the Modern Leadership Monthly Book Club. If you happened upon this page and are not a member you can join for free here .

The book club is designed to explore books that will help us on our leadership journey. It is a part of the Modern Leadership Podcast where we breakdown a book weekly in each episode. You can catch the podcast here.

This month’s book is H3 Leadership: Be Humble. Stay Hungry. Always Hustle by Brad Lomenick

My Request

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Brief Summary

The book begins with an introduction by Mark Burnett. It is a great way to start. The genesis behind this book is a burned out executive who needs a break. Taking a 3 month sabbatical was not in the plans, but it was needed. Brad takes his sabbatical and really deep dives into his life and thinking, what makes him tick and what he wants to accomplish with the rest of life. The result is a commitment to be humble, stay hungry and always hustle.

About the author – Brad Lomenick

Brad Lomenick is the author of 2 books- The Catalyst Leader: 8 Essentials for Becoming a Change Maker and, of course, H3 Leadership. He spent over a decade equipping, inspiring and releasing the next generation of young Christian leaders through events, resources and consulting in movement known as Catalyst.

Brad is an Oklahoma sooner fan, a decent golfer, a duck hunter, skier and pilot. Who should read

You should read this book if:

You want to see a discussion of a balanced leader
You like to see personally into the life of the author and understand his journey
You like books that combine business principles with Christian principles
You enjoy short thoughtful chapters with action steps combined with expert testimonials

Who shouldn’t read this book

Do not appreciate spiritual aspects related to a financial topic.
You disagree that being humble, hungry and hustling affects your leadership ability
Want deeper involvement in the topic backed by researched figures
Want a novel with an engaging story. This is a principle driven book, not a hero’s journey.

What surprised me

Big surprise for me was the spiritual nature of this book. I had no idea, thinking it was your typical business book. It came recommended and the recommender was not overtly religious as a guest so it caught me off guard to begin with. That being said, I enjoyed the book and found the principles sound and the delivery enjoyable.

The intro for the book is the famous Mark Burnett from Survivor, The Voice and Shark Tank fame. A big fish and a great person to have intro your book.

Criticism

The book was more “surface level” than I generally prefer. There is a delicate balance between too much information and boring the audience and too little leaving the reader interested in more info. There were times when i wanted to go deeper in one of the principles.

Takeaways

October 2013, when I realized I was personally, professionally, physically, and spiritually burned-out.
- “Brad, you need a sabbatical.
You must develop habits that create consistency.
Want to be a better leader? Establish leadership habits.
The time and energy required to create better patterns varies, but regardless, almost always exceeds a month’s time.
S. Lewis once said, “people need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed.”
That’s why job loss obliterates so many leaders. The financial deficit stings, but the identity loss decimates them. They no longer have an answer to the question, “Who am I?”
Developing a habit of self-discovery means creating intentional rhythms whereby one observes who he is, listens to his life, and strives to define himself apart from his professional assignments.
Jean-Paul Sartre wrote, “to be at all you must be something in particular.”
Do you have the courage to be you rather than someone else?
Ladder climbing typically leads to power tripping, which leads to a loss of influence.
People would rather follow a leader who is always real versus a leader who is always right. Don’t try to be a perfect leader, just work on being an authentic one.
- Domino’s had to admit the poor quality of their old recipe.
  - “We stink.”
We impress people through our strengths, but we truly connect with people through our weaknesses and areas of struggle.
Forbes writer George Bradt has noted: “One of the most fundamental lessons of leadership is that if you’re a leader, it’s not about you. It’s about the people following you.
Meekness is not weakness. It’s power under control.
It’s ambition grounded with humility and lived out in confidence, not arrogance.
The best leadership moments will probably be the ones that nobody sees.
A strong leader builds a habit of conviction, knowing that the times when no one is watching are when true character is built.
Build who you are off the stage and behind the stage and beside the stage way before you start thinking about getting on the stage.
Muhammad Ali once said, “It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.”
Faith allows us to stop worrying about what others are saying about us and instead consider what God might be saying to us.
- The more time we spend with God, the more quickly and clearly we can discern God’s voice, and as a result.
Stay hungry and motivated, not arrogant and entitled.
Simply put, the role of a leader is to hire the right people, put them in the right roles, give them the resources they need, and then get out of the way.

My Key Key Key Takeaway

My key: Be 100 percent you and own it! Too many of us are trying to be the next someone, but instead, how about being the new and true you?

This is such a valuable lesson. As I spend so many hours reading biographies and listening to podcasts from “the experts” it can be easy to fall into the trap of comparing. Feeling you are not successful because your “success” doesn’t match your mentors. Be yourself. Define your own success.