Bite-sized insights for curious leaders & learners every other Sunday.

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🗣️ "Risk being seen in all your glory." -Jim Carrey

🗣️ "Confidence attracts, but vulnerability endears." -Derek Sivers

🗣️ "To be interesting, just tell your own story with uncommon honesty." -Kevin Kelly

🗣️ "Connection starts the moment someone decides to stop protecting themselves and make it safe for others to do the same." -Francesca Tighinean

​Wise Words from Wise People (April 2026)​ Here are the best quotes I found this past month from what I've been reading and learning ​Read more​

​5 Interesting Tactics That Will Spice Up Your Reading Life​ Check out these random, fun techniques to enrich your reading experience ​Read more​

​What to Make of a Life by Jim Collins​ ​Nonfiction: Personal Development I'll buy anything Collins writes, so I excitedly snagged this one as soon as it dropped. Unlike his earlier books that focused on building a business (like the mega-bestseller Good to Great), this one is based on a decade of research into how to build a great life. It's a fantastic read. ​See takeaways​

​London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe​ ​Nonfiction: True Crime, Mystery Nineteen-year-old Zac Brettler died in London in 2019. After his death, his parents learned that their beloved son had been living a secret life—hanging out with gangsters and telling people he was the son of a Russian oligarch. One of the craziest true stories I've read in a while.

🗣️ "If we're serious about growth and improvement, we have no choice but to get good at learning from just about anyone.” -Thanks for the Feedback by Douglas Stone & Sheila Heen

This week, I led a training on How to Receive Feedback. It's one of my favorite training topics because it's so vital for building a strong company culture, yet it's hardly ever discussed.

Similar to most of my trainings, this one is derived from my past mistakes...

I've had plenty of times in my career when someone shared feedback with me and—in my effort to ask for specifics—I came off as horribly defensive.

I've found that the key is in the sequence of how you respond:

1. First, say "Thank you." This immediately shows the other person you're grateful for what they said, and it also puts you in a more gracious mindset to accept the tough message.
2. Then, acknowledge and accept. After saying thank you, tell them you didn't mean to come off that way and you want to improve.
3. Last, ask curious questions. Now's the time to finally ask for details: Can you share a few details about what I did that came off as [lazy, unkind, arrogant, etc.] so I can avoid that in the future? How do you wish I had responded instead? etc.

In other words, don't start with questions—end with them. If you save your questions for Step #3, you'll be impressed by the results.

Yesterday I ran my second 10K Spartan Race with my buddy Houston.

I was totally gassed by the end of the race, but we beat our old time by 20 minutes, so we're proud of that.

In the pics below, you'll catch us at our dirtiest (after the mud pit) and our cleanest (walking through a river) during the 25-obstacle race.

Visit me at BobbyPowers.com for more articles and book reviews about leadership, communication, and personal development.

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