Lead Yourself First

Most people spend their whole lives waiting — for the economy to turn, for the right break, for someone to finally recognize what they're worth. Lead Yourself First is for the ones who are done waiting.

Leadership strategist Jody Holland has spent more than twenty years helping entrepreneurs, executives, and teams unlock their potential. What he's learned is that leadership doesn't start with a title, a team, or a strategy. It starts with you. Before you can lead anyone else, you have to master the person in the mirror.

At the heart of the book is Jody's S-3 framework — Strategy, Systems, and Shifts. Your strategy is what you do. But your strategy can never rise above your systems — the beliefs running quietly in the background that decide what you think is possible. And those systems only change when you make a shift. Shift the belief, rebuild the system, and free the strategy. That one loop runs through every chapter of the book.

Along the way, you'll get a toolbox of practical, memorable models you can apply immediately:

The Baseball Diamond — how to order your goals (psychological, physical, personal, professional) so you stay centered while you climb.
TARGET — a six-step model for hitting any goal you set.
BANDITS — the seven time thieves quietly stealing your success, and how to eliminate them.
MOJO, HIT, and ACT — simple frameworks for energy, mindset, and taking action even when you don't feel like it.
The Law of Compensation — the honest question behind every goal: What am I willing to give to get what I want?

You'll write your own future in present tense, break up with the version of you that's holding you back, build a culture worth belonging to, and learn to stop giving 110% so you can start giving your best.

Honest, funny, and relentlessly practical, Lead Yourself First is the self-leadership blueprint for anyone ready to stop drifting and start building.

The climb never ends. Let's begin.