Aaron P. Mikulsky (Author of L.O.V.E. 2 Lead)

Aaron Mikulsky rated a book it was amazing Situated: Find the People and Places That Bring Out Your Best by Angela Duckworth (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Situated is Angela Duckworth’s companion to Grit. I loved this read and highly recommend it! Duckworth argues that while grit (passion + perseverance) is necessary for success, it is rarely sufficient. Over-relying on sheer willpower is a flawed, “dow ...more
Sep 27, 2026 08:09AM · like · see review
Aaron Mikulsky rated a book it was amazing Leadership Intelligence: Science-Backed Strategies for Mastering 21 Everyday Management Challenges by Caroline Webb (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Thank you Caroline for putting this research together and writing this wonderful book! It serves as a tactical playbook for modern management. Drawing on her background as an economist and executive coach, Webb argues that in an era of rapid AI disru ...more
Sep 12, 2026 06:11AM · 1 like · like · see review
Aaron Mikulsky and 1 other person liked Kellie Reynolds's review of Leadership Intelligence: Science-Backed Strategies for Mastering 21 Everyday Management Challenges: "Caroline Webb’s latest book is a valuable resource that can guide leaders of organizations of any size when they face common challenges. She presents the science-backed solutions in a clear, straightforward manner that respects the seriousness of the" Read more of this review »
Sep 10, 2026 02:50PM · see review
Aaron Mikulsky is on page 12 of 384 of Leadership Intelligence Leadership Intelligence: Science-Backed Strategies for Mastering 21 Everyday Management Challenges by Caroline Webb (Goodreads Author) progress:	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 05, 2026 02:52PM · like · see status
Aaron Mikulsky rated a book it was amazing The Choice: Embrace the Possible by Edith Eger	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dr. Edith Eger’s The Choice: Embrace the Possible (2017) is a profound memoir and psychological guide. I highly recommend this book for too many reasons to list. This should be required reading for all. It’s beautifully written. She was a Hungarian-Am ...more
Sep 05, 2026 02:51PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Choice by Edith Eger. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Choice by Edith Eger <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Aaron Mikulsky liked David Pulliam's review of On Character: Choices That Define a Life: "I do not understand what the ruckus is about this book. I found it to be generic and a bit fluffy. "
Aug 16, 2026 05:48AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of On Character by Stanley McChrystal. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — On Character by Stanley McChrystal <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Aaron Mikulsky rated a book liked it Design Love In: How to Unleash the Most Powerful Force in Business by Marcus Buckingham	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Design Love In: How to Unleash the Most Powerful Force in Business was really good at times and head-scratching at times. It's worth the read and deep discussion around it. Here are some memorable moments: “Excellence isn’t the opposite of failure. To ...more
Aug 02, 2026 06:23PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Design Love In by Marcus Buckingham. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Design Love In by Marcus Buckingham <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Aaron Mikulsky rated a book it was amazing The Price of Becoming: The Compounding Practices of High Performance ― A Practical Roadmap to Better Habits and Lasting Excellence by Ryan Hawk	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I highly recommend The Price of Becoming by Ryan Hawk. The host of The Learning Leader Show delivers a pragmatic, unglamorous message: growth comes at a steep, deliberate cost. Drawing insights from over 700 interviews with world-class leaders, think ...more
Jul 25, 2026 04:51AM · like · see review
Aaron Mikulsky rated a book it was amazing Essential Leadership: Practicing L.O.V.E. in Turbulent Times by Marc Inzelstein (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Essential Leadership offers a departure from traditional, high-pressure leadership models. Inzelstein argues that the conventional approach — “think faster, push harder, and control outcomes” — leads to strain and disconnection, ultimately becoming a ...more
Jul 14, 2026 07:21PM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Essential Leadership by Marc Inzelstein. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Essential Leadership by Marc Inzelstein <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Aaron Mikulsky and 703 other people liked Prakash's review of The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness: "I will tell you an anecdote before going into the review. In India, IITs are the premier technical institutions with around 1% acceptance rate and .1% for the top 1000 ranks. Kids can become minor celebrities in their circles just by clearing the exa" Read more of this review »
Jul 06, 2026 01:06PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

Aaron Mikulsky rated a book it was amazing

Situated: Find the People and Places That Bring Out Your Best
by Angela Duckworth (Goodreads Author)

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Situated is Angela Duckworth’s companion to Grit. I loved this read and highly recommend it!

Duckworth argues that while grit (passion + perseverance) is necessary for success, it is rarely sufficient. Over-relying on sheer willpower is a flawed, “dow Situated is Angela Duckworth’s companion to Grit. I loved this read and highly recommend it!

Duckworth argues that while grit (passion + perseverance) is necessary for success, it is rarely sufficient. Over-relying on sheer willpower is a flawed, “downstream” strategy that eventually leads to burnout. Instead, Duckworth reveals that lasting achievement and behavioral change happen “upstream” through environmental design. High performers do not just try harder; they deliberately curate their physical spaces, peer groups, and cultural norms so that doing the hard thing becomes the easiest option. Her argument is not that perseverance was a mistake; it is that effort pays off differently depending on the space, peers, mentors, and culture surrounding the person making it. The Michael Phelps story shows what that support can look like for an individual. The Cleveland Clinic story shows how a leader can build it into an institution.

Duckworth describes three levels of the idea: situational awareness—noticing how circumstances shape behavior; situational agency—changing circumstances within your control; and situational responsibility—creating better circumstances for other people, especially those with less power to do it themselves. She says she added the final, other-directed portion because a book concerned only with improving one’s own performance would miss what she considered its most important implication.

Duckworth’s core distinction: “Grit is one thing. A great situation is another. Fully realizing your potential requires both.”
Her practical challenge: “How situated are you?”
Her reason for widening the book beyond individual achievement: “It’s more important to make the world a better place for other people.”
Her statement of the method: “Effort pays off when you make your situation your ally.”
“We too often ask ‘What's wrong with me?’ when instead we should be asking, ‘Where, and with whom, can I be better?’”
“Better situations can reduce the need to win every internal battle through willpower.”
“The people one spends time with are not background conditions; they actively shape the person one becomes.”
“When a challenge persists, improve the surrounding situation rather than relying only on individual resolve.”

Situated makes a persuasive and useful change in emphasis. It preserves the value of hard work while asking a better diagnostic question than “Why won’t this person try harder?”—namely, “What situation is their effort entering?” Its strongest examples work at different scales: Debbie Phelps adapts conditions for one child; Cosgrove attempts to make a patient-centered priority routine across a large healthcare organization. The necessary caution is one Duckworth acknowledges herself: people do not have equal freedom to change their circumstances. The book is most valuable when its account of personal agency is paired with its insistence on responsibility for the situations we create for others. ...more

Aaron Mikulsky rated a book it was amazing

Leadership Intelligence by Caroline Webb

Leadership Intelligence: Science-Backed Strategies for Mastering 21 Everyday Management Challenges
by Caroline Webb (Goodreads Author)

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Thank you Caroline for putting this research together and writing this wonderful book! It serves as a tactical playbook for modern management. Drawing on her background as an economist and executive coach, Webb argues that in an era of rapid AI disru Thank you Caroline for putting this research together and writing this wonderful book! It serves as a tactical playbook for modern management. Drawing on her background as an economist and executive coach, Webb argues that in an era of rapid AI disruption, a leader's true differentiator is the ability to harness distinctly human strengths: interpersonal insight, critical thinking, and emotional regulation. The core thesis is that management should not be left to instinct. By applying psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral economics, leaders can systematically improve how their teams function. Leadership Intelligence is a practical, science-informed leadership playbook for managers facing everyday high-stakes situations. Exceptional leadership is less about being the smartest individual in the room than creating the conditions in which a group can think, decide, and perform intelligently together. The book is organized around three leadership capacities:

* Cultivating Wisdom: Clearing cognitive fog to make smarter choices amidst complexity. This section provides tools for navigating overstuffed calendars, overcoming decision fatigue, and making difficult trade-offs when resources are tight. Making wise choices: improving attention, judgment, tradeoffs, and collective problem-solving.
* Igniting Inspiration: Engaging the brain's reward system to amplify human potential. Webb offers actionable frameworks for delivering feedback that drives behavior change, resolving stalled conversations, and addressing chronic personnel headaches. Inspiring strong performance: helping people understand priorities, collaborate, learn, and contribute.
* Building Resilience: Reframing the brain's threat response to make stressful situations manageable. This focuses on leading teams through uncertainty, maintaining emotional equilibrium during upheavals, and bridging divides (utilizing tools like her Common Ground model). Building resilience: leading calmly and constructively amid pressure, uncertainty, and change.

The evident strength is integration: instead of treating decision quality, relationships, motivation, and resilience as separate leadership topics, the book frames them as interdependent features of how people think and react under pressure.

Webb brings an unusual combination to leadership writing: she is an economist, executive coach, former McKinsey partner, and author grounded in psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral economics. Her aim is immediate usability: tools suitable for a decision, meeting, feedback conversation, or conflict situation—not abstract leadership theory. I recommend this book and will be using this as a go-to reference for years to come! ...more

Aaron Mikulsky and 1 other person liked Kellie Reynolds's review of Leadership Intelligence: Science-Backed Strategies for Mastering 21 Everyday Management Challenges:

"Caroline Webb’s latest book is a valuable resource that can guide leaders of organizations of any size when they face common challenges. She presents the science-backed solutions in a clear, straightforward manner that respects the seriousness of the" Read more of this review »

Aaron Mikulsky is on page 12 of 384 of Leadership Intelligence

Leadership Intelligence: Science-Backed Strategies for Mastering 21 Everyday Management Challenges
by Caroline Webb (Goodreads Author)

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Aaron Mikulsky rated a book it was amazing

The Choice: Embrace the Possible
by Edith Eger

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Dr. Edith Eger’s The Choice: Embrace the Possible (2017) is a profound memoir and psychological guide. I highly recommend this book for too many reasons to list. This should be required reading for all. It’s beautifully written.

She was a Hungarian-Am Dr. Edith Eger’s The Choice: Embrace the Possible (2017) is a profound memoir and psychological guide. I highly recommend this book for too many reasons to list. This should be required reading for all. It’s beautifully written.

She was a Hungarian-American clinical psychologist, Holocaust survivor, and bestselling author known for her work on trauma, resilience, and post-traumatic growth. As a teenager she was imprisoned in Auschwitz and other camps; after the war she rebuilt her life, earned a doctorate in psychology, and became a prominent therapist and speaker. Her teachings emphasized personal responsibility, forgiveness, and the power to choose one’s response even in the face of extreme adversity. Eger weaves her harrowing experiences in the Holocaust with her decades of clinical practice to explore how human beings can transcend trauma and reclaim agency over their lives. Eger died on April 27, 2026, at her home in San Diego, California, at the age of 98.

The book is structured around Eger’s life journey across three main phases: her youth in Hungary and the horrific imprisonment in Auschwitz and Mauthausen as a teenager; her liberation, subsequent immigration to America, and the lingering psychological weight of survivor's guilt; and her eventual return to Europe (including Auschwitz) to confront her past, leading to her training as a psychologist.

Central to the narrative is a defining moment upon arrival at Auschwitz, when her sister Magda asked how she looked. Shorn of their hair and stripped of their belongings, Eger chose to compliment Magda’s beautiful eyes. From this, Eger anchors her core thesis: while victimization is inflicted from the outside, victimhood is a choice we make internally. We cannot always control what happens to us, but we can always choose how to respond, making the present moment the only place where true freedom lives. She became friends (and mentee) with Man’s Search for Meaning’s Viktor Frankl (this is another classic, must-read). ...more

Aaron Mikulsky liked David Pulliam's review of On Character: Choices That Define a Life:

"I do not understand what the ruckus is about this book. I found it to be generic and a bit fluffy. "

Aaron Mikulsky rated a book liked it

Design Love In: How to Unleash the Most Powerful Force in Business
by Marcus Buckingham

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Design Love In: How to Unleash the Most Powerful Force in Business was really good at times and head-scratching at times. It's worth the read and deep discussion around it. Here are some memorable moments:

“Excellence isn’t the opposite of failure. To ...more

Aaron Mikulsky rated a book it was amazing

The Price of Becoming: The Compounding Practices of High Performance ― A Practical Roadmap to Better Habits and Lasting Excellence
by Ryan Hawk

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1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

I highly recommend The Price of Becoming by Ryan Hawk. The host of The Learning Leader Show delivers a pragmatic, unglamorous message: growth comes at a steep, deliberate cost. Drawing insights from over 700 interviews with world-class leaders, think ...more

Aaron Mikulsky rated a book it was amazing

Essential Leadership: Practicing L.O.V.E. in Turbulent Times
by Marc Inzelstein (Goodreads Author)

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Essential Leadership offers a departure from traditional, high-pressure leadership models. Inzelstein argues that the conventional approach — “think faster, push harder, and control outcomes” — leads to strain and disconnection, ultimately becoming a ...more

Aaron Mikulsky and 703 other people liked Prakash's review of The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness:

The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson

"I will tell you an anecdote before going into the review. In India, IITs are the premier technical institutions with around 1% acceptance rate and .1% for the top 1000 ranks. Kids can become minor celebrities in their circles just by clearing the exa" Read more of this review »

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