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Leading with Character: 10 Minutes a Day to a Brilliant Legacy
At the end of your life, how are you likely to be remembered? Chances are that people won't be praising your money, power, and status. Instead, the people you've impacted will remember you for your compassion and personal strength - in short, your character. Unfortunately, many leaders are unaware of their character shortcomings and blind spots that hold so many of us back from building the lasting legacy we are capable of.
With the right motivation, you can begin to strengthen your character and become a moral and ethical leader capable of creating lasting change. In Leading with 10 Minutes a Day to a Brilliant Legacy, Dr. Jim Loehr, cofounder of the Johnson & Johnson Human Performance Institute, reveals 50 character competencies that you can practice daily to transform your life and work.
This book will also guide you through the process of developing a personal credo that will serve as your decision-making mission statement. Most leaders never take the time to identify their own core values, instead defaulting to a reflexive form of decision making. Gain an awareness of the conscious and unconscious processes that guide what you do and why you do it, and take charge of your leadership legacy. Even good leaders are vulnerable to corruption.
Listen to Leading with Character to learn how human evolution and contemporary culture can lead us astray without our even knowing it. As we work hard to get to the top, who are we becoming along the way? If we want to become heroes whose memories will long outlast us, we need to channel our energy into creating habits that will add up to a strong and meaningful character.
PLEASE When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
With the right motivation, you can begin to strengthen your character and become a moral and ethical leader capable of creating lasting change. In Leading with 10 Minutes a Day to a Brilliant Legacy, Dr. Jim Loehr, cofounder of the Johnson & Johnson Human Performance Institute, reveals 50 character competencies that you can practice daily to transform your life and work.
This book will also guide you through the process of developing a personal credo that will serve as your decision-making mission statement. Most leaders never take the time to identify their own core values, instead defaulting to a reflexive form of decision making. Gain an awareness of the conscious and unconscious processes that guide what you do and why you do it, and take charge of your leadership legacy. Even good leaders are vulnerable to corruption.
Listen to Leading with Character to learn how human evolution and contemporary culture can lead us astray without our even knowing it. As we work hard to get to the top, who are we becoming along the way? If we want to become heroes whose memories will long outlast us, we need to channel our energy into creating habits that will add up to a strong and meaningful character.
PLEASE When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
256 pages, ebook
Published September 2, 2020
17 people are currently reading
585 people want to read
About the author
Jim Loehr
37 books180 followersDr. Jim Loehr is a world-renowned performance psychologist and author of 16 books including his most recent, The Only Way to Win. He also co-authored the national bestseller The Power of Full Engagement.
Dr. Loehr’s ground-breaking, science-based energy management training system has achieved world-wide recognition and has been chronicled in leading national publications, including the Harvard Business Review, Business Week, Fortune, Newsweek, Time, US News and World Report, Success, Fast Company and Omni. He has appeared on NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Nightline with Ted Koppel, the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather and CBS Morning News, and the Oprah Winfrey Show.
From his more than 30 years of experience and applied research, Dr. Loehr believes the single most important factor in successful achievement, personal fulfilment and life satisfaction is the strength of one’s character.
He strongly contends that character strength can be built in the same way that muscle strength is built
through energy investment.
Dr. Loehr has worked with hundreds of world-class performers from the arenas of sport, business, medicine and law enforcement, including Fortune 100 executives, FBI Hostage Rescue Teams, and military Special Forces. Corporate clients of the Institute represent hundreds of Fortune 500 companies, including Procter & Gamble, The Estée Lauder Companies, FBI, GlaxoSmithKline, PepsiCo, and Citigroup Smith Barney. A sampling of his elite clients from the world of sport include golfers Mark O’Meara and Justin Rose; tennis players Jim Courier, Monica Seles, and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario; boxer Ray Mancini; hockey players Eric Lindros and Mike Richter; and Olympic gold medal speed skater Dan Jansen.
Dr. Loehr possesses a masters and doctorate in psychology, serves on several prestigious scientific boards and is a full member of the American Psychological Association, the American College of Sports Medicine, the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and the Association for
Applied Sport Psychology.
The Johnson & Johnson Human Performance Institute is the pioneer in delivering a science-based energy management training solution. Based on over 30 years of proprietary research, the Johnson & Johnson Human Performance Institute has worked with elite performers, including Olympic gold medalists, military Special Forces, Hostage Rescue teams, surgeons, and Fortune 500 CEOs to achieve sustained high performance. In 2015 alone, 25 of the Fortune 100 companies participated in Corporate Athlete® training, delivered across 32 countries, in over 500 sessions.
Dr. Loehr’s ground-breaking, science-based energy management training system has achieved world-wide recognition and has been chronicled in leading national publications, including the Harvard Business Review, Business Week, Fortune, Newsweek, Time, US News and World Report, Success, Fast Company and Omni. He has appeared on NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Nightline with Ted Koppel, the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather and CBS Morning News, and the Oprah Winfrey Show.
From his more than 30 years of experience and applied research, Dr. Loehr believes the single most important factor in successful achievement, personal fulfilment and life satisfaction is the strength of one’s character.
He strongly contends that character strength can be built in the same way that muscle strength is built
through energy investment.
Dr. Loehr has worked with hundreds of world-class performers from the arenas of sport, business, medicine and law enforcement, including Fortune 100 executives, FBI Hostage Rescue Teams, and military Special Forces. Corporate clients of the Institute represent hundreds of Fortune 500 companies, including Procter & Gamble, The Estée Lauder Companies, FBI, GlaxoSmithKline, PepsiCo, and Citigroup Smith Barney. A sampling of his elite clients from the world of sport include golfers Mark O’Meara and Justin Rose; tennis players Jim Courier, Monica Seles, and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario; boxer Ray Mancini; hockey players Eric Lindros and Mike Richter; and Olympic gold medal speed skater Dan Jansen.
Dr. Loehr possesses a masters and doctorate in psychology, serves on several prestigious scientific boards and is a full member of the American Psychological Association, the American College of Sports Medicine, the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and the Association for
Applied Sport Psychology.
The Johnson & Johnson Human Performance Institute is the pioneer in delivering a science-based energy management training solution. Based on over 30 years of proprietary research, the Johnson & Johnson Human Performance Institute has worked with elite performers, including Olympic gold medalists, military Special Forces, Hostage Rescue teams, surgeons, and Fortune 500 CEOs to achieve sustained high performance. In 2015 alone, 25 of the Fortune 100 companies participated in Corporate Athlete® training, delivered across 32 countries, in over 500 sessions.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 17, 2021
After listening to Jim Loehr on Tim Ferriss's podcast, I listened to this book in Audible Format, while running.
The format of the book does not really suited to be listened to.
While listening, I thought the suggestions, particularly for families, would be very helpful in raising kids with strong character.
I am curious what the Loehr's journal looks like, and will likely orde one when they become available. (It seems as if they are not available currently, Jan 2021.)
The format of the book does not really suited to be listened to.
While listening, I thought the suggestions, particularly for families, would be very helpful in raising kids with strong character.
I am curious what the Loehr's journal looks like, and will likely orde one when they become available. (It seems as if they are not available currently, Jan 2021.)
April 11, 2021
Phenomenal book. I absolutely loved it. I never realised that character or personality and our moral strength was something that is so fragile yet so malleable. Through this book, I understood a lot about character and the importance of it for living a great life. This has been a very big game-changing book and I will design my own personal credo to bring out the best version of myself!
April 17, 2021
I found the list of 50 character strengths very useful. It helped me better understand where I’m weak, where I’m strong and where I want to improve. Categorising the strengths as either performance or moral was helpful with that prioritisation.
Eg before reading this book I had never thought of patience as a character strength.
The notion that all these strengths can be acquired with effort, and need effort to sustain is less novel, but is an important part of the narrative.
Eg before reading this book I had never thought of patience as a character strength.
The notion that all these strengths can be acquired with effort, and need effort to sustain is less novel, but is an important part of the narrative.
January 14, 2021
I think this book has an audience, and it’s not me. It may have been me five years ago, possibly, but as someone who’s always had a strong sense of my own morals—and who thinks about them purposefully all the time—this book didn’t feel like it added much. There was a sentence somewhere in the middle hypothetically asking whether the reader was a person who spends time deliberately learning new things that help shape their concept of right and wrong, saying that if the reader didn’t do that, then this book was for them. I’d agree with that, and kind-of wish it’d been spelled out like that in the description of the book before I took it upon myself to read it.
If my feelings about the book had been limited to the above, I probably would’ve given it three stars, but I did have a few real problems with it...
1. There are so, so, so many instances of the author using “his or hers,” “she or he,” etc. instead of “theirs,” or “they,” and this transphobic hold-out made me flinch every. single. time. I found it especially ironic when, after putting in that much effort, there was at least one instance where the author /did/ use the word “they” to refer to the same person/people that had just, moments before, been referred to with “she or he.” I believe I actually burst out laughing at that.
2. The author tries to stay away from giving “political” answers of things that are ‘morally right’ or ‘morally wrong,’ but his first and only example of “true evil” in the world had me questioning how old those people were, what their life situations were, how much of the truth they exaggerated or lied about in order to scare the kid who was likely much younger than them but was also likely more well-off than them. I suppose I have trouble with labeling people as “true evil,” at least with the details given.
3. The audiobook narrator mispronounced at least two words at least three times, and that was kind-of confusing. Not a big deal, and kind-of amusing, but also, ?
If my feelings about the book had been limited to the above, I probably would’ve given it three stars, but I did have a few real problems with it...
1. There are so, so, so many instances of the author using “his or hers,” “she or he,” etc. instead of “theirs,” or “they,” and this transphobic hold-out made me flinch every. single. time. I found it especially ironic when, after putting in that much effort, there was at least one instance where the author /did/ use the word “they” to refer to the same person/people that had just, moments before, been referred to with “she or he.” I believe I actually burst out laughing at that.
2. The author tries to stay away from giving “political” answers of things that are ‘morally right’ or ‘morally wrong,’ but his first and only example of “true evil” in the world had me questioning how old those people were, what their life situations were, how much of the truth they exaggerated or lied about in order to scare the kid who was likely much younger than them but was also likely more well-off than them. I suppose I have trouble with labeling people as “true evil,” at least with the details given.
3. The audiobook narrator mispronounced at least two words at least three times, and that was kind-of confusing. Not a big deal, and kind-of amusing, but also, ?
October 20, 2020
Character development, as Dr. Loehr lays out, is not a natural occurrence. Why not? Because our natural human tendency is to look at our actions as proof of our own goodness. When we accept that we are faulty and prone to the same cognitive biases as everyone else, we can evaluate our options more objectively.
Jim Loehr has also provided readers with exercises and journaling opportunities that have helped to ground the many top performers he has coached. I look forward to continuing my own reflection as I work through these exercises.
Jim Loehr has also provided readers with exercises and journaling opportunities that have helped to ground the many top performers he has coached. I look forward to continuing my own reflection as I work through these exercises.
February 23, 2021
Challenging to fully engage with, but the material is very good. Still working my way through the journal.
September 14, 2023
I've picked *Leading With Character* by Jim Loehr because I recently was not superhappy with my tennis practice routine. I needed an extra push to refine my decision-making process on the court. I was determined to be the author of my shots but my desire was not supported by a tough mentality.
What does it mean to become a better version of yourself? Most of the time, being a match player isn't just about being in good shape; it's about being fully committed to winning more matches. Respectfully referring to System 1 and System 2 in our brain as "intuitive processor" and "cognitive processor", Jim Loehr uses a science-based approach to making better choices. He uses the analogy of the inputs that are processed by our brain. Our response to an input can be sourced either from our earliest, childhood, experiences and feelings in the range of disgust, attraction, fear, deep trust; or the source can be the array of our core beliefs, core values, and Personal Credo that comes from the logical analysis and fact-crunching.
I was immediately intrigued by the opportunity to explore my moral and performance strengths and shortcomings to engage with my local tennis community project, *Second Tennis Language*, so I was happy to find an effective tool for improvement in the most practical way. I found exciting the analogy running through the pages of this book—you program your neural network by developing a source code to execute on. This is the source code for any moral deliberation. And it has had a much greater impact on my life than I could have imagined. It is one hundred percent worth to invest your time to read Leading With Character to create your habit of journaling!
Now that we are living in a post-pandemic reality, we see that leaders face new challenges. Remember how Mark Bauman's character in The Big Short was deeply saddened by the idea that Wall Street could be corrupt: "When the hell did we forget all that? I thought we were better than this, I really did. And the fact we're not doesn't make me feel alright and superior. It makes me feel... sad." That was the most devastating economic catastrophe since the Great Depression.
When the economy tanks, it is always like never before. The good news is that you are free to choose your responses. All you need to do is incorporate these experiences into your Personal Credo by emphasizing the importance of leading with honesty, transparency, and genuine connection, which can inspire trust and foster meaningful relationships. We as leaders need to awaken our moral sensitivity, to reverse all forms of moral numbity, and to have a thoroughly vetted moral calculus for judging right from wrong. Or, in Jim Loehr's words, you need to train your moral character muscles.
What does it mean to become a better version of yourself? Most of the time, being a match player isn't just about being in good shape; it's about being fully committed to winning more matches. Respectfully referring to System 1 and System 2 in our brain as "intuitive processor" and "cognitive processor", Jim Loehr uses a science-based approach to making better choices. He uses the analogy of the inputs that are processed by our brain. Our response to an input can be sourced either from our earliest, childhood, experiences and feelings in the range of disgust, attraction, fear, deep trust; or the source can be the array of our core beliefs, core values, and Personal Credo that comes from the logical analysis and fact-crunching.
I was immediately intrigued by the opportunity to explore my moral and performance strengths and shortcomings to engage with my local tennis community project, *Second Tennis Language*, so I was happy to find an effective tool for improvement in the most practical way. I found exciting the analogy running through the pages of this book—you program your neural network by developing a source code to execute on. This is the source code for any moral deliberation. And it has had a much greater impact on my life than I could have imagined. It is one hundred percent worth to invest your time to read Leading With Character to create your habit of journaling!
Now that we are living in a post-pandemic reality, we see that leaders face new challenges. Remember how Mark Bauman's character in The Big Short was deeply saddened by the idea that Wall Street could be corrupt: "When the hell did we forget all that? I thought we were better than this, I really did. And the fact we're not doesn't make me feel alright and superior. It makes me feel... sad." That was the most devastating economic catastrophe since the Great Depression.
When the economy tanks, it is always like never before. The good news is that you are free to choose your responses. All you need to do is incorporate these experiences into your Personal Credo by emphasizing the importance of leading with honesty, transparency, and genuine connection, which can inspire trust and foster meaningful relationships. We as leaders need to awaken our moral sensitivity, to reverse all forms of moral numbity, and to have a thoroughly vetted moral calculus for judging right from wrong. Or, in Jim Loehr's words, you need to train your moral character muscles.
May 4, 2021
This book is about figuring out your personal credo. This confronts those tough questions you need to ask yourself. It forced me to see if who I want my best self to be matches up with my thoughts and actions today. We are already pre-wired with our own set of beliefs, we just are!
This book along with it's companion journal are helping me figure out where those beliefs came from and do I want to continue to carry them with me, or lay them down for good. I have been surprised by some of my answers in my daily journaling. Hurts that I have held onto and passions I have discovered. Where my weaknesses and strengths lie.
One quote from the book is:
"Our fate resides not in the discovery of what lies within us, but in the active process of creating it"
I was asked to give 6 one-word descriptors of me at my best self
1. Honest 2. C0nfident 3. Patient 4. Encouraging 5. Good-Listener 6. Joyful
Some things I have discovered about myself are:
People mean a lot to me.
I don't like feeling bad or discomfort
When I am healthy I see an issue and I strive to fix it. But when I am not I let it completely consume me and I drown in it!
I can handle discomfort on myself, but I am only motivated to change when it affects others.
I can find the good in anything! ... This is a good AND bad thing
I have a strong gut instinct..figuring out WHEN to trust it is my issue.
I want to excel at the things that God has only called ME to do: Be a wife and mother to my family.
I want each day I live to match up with these things I want in life and who I say I am.
This book along with it's companion journal are helping me figure out where those beliefs came from and do I want to continue to carry them with me, or lay them down for good. I have been surprised by some of my answers in my daily journaling. Hurts that I have held onto and passions I have discovered. Where my weaknesses and strengths lie.
One quote from the book is:
"Our fate resides not in the discovery of what lies within us, but in the active process of creating it"
I was asked to give 6 one-word descriptors of me at my best self
1. Honest 2. C0nfident 3. Patient 4. Encouraging 5. Good-Listener 6. Joyful
Some things I have discovered about myself are:
People mean a lot to me.
I don't like feeling bad or discomfort
When I am healthy I see an issue and I strive to fix it. But when I am not I let it completely consume me and I drown in it!
I can handle discomfort on myself, but I am only motivated to change when it affects others.
I can find the good in anything! ... This is a good AND bad thing
I have a strong gut instinct..figuring out WHEN to trust it is my issue.
I want to excel at the things that God has only called ME to do: Be a wife and mother to my family.
I want each day I live to match up with these things I want in life and who I say I am.
January 3, 2021
Started well and the idea is strong. It felt like a great book to start 2021 with after hearing the author give an interesting interview on a podcast and being a fan of his classic The Power of Full Engagement. I was excited to read it and paid £25 for the Kindle version of the book. As it progressed it didn’t give me what I’d needed or expected. Contains a lot of templates for self analysis and journaling that maybe would have worked better in a paper edition or as supporting notes for a course. As it is, I feel a bit annoyed and short-changed, to be frank.
December 26, 2022
تظهر قوة عضلات شخصيتنا بشكل أفضل عندما توضع تحت ضغط
الشدائد لا تبني الشخصية بل تكشفها
اوضح ساذرلاند في كتابه white collar crime قادة الأعمال وكذلك الشركات الكبيرة التى كانوا يديرونها، أشبه إلى حد كبير بلصوص محترفين.
وقال يوجين سولتس مؤلف كتاب why they Do it ان أكثر من ربع المسئولين التنفيذيين الذين شملهم الاستطلاع إنهم سيستخدمون تقديرهم المهني لإجراء تسويات محاسبية لتحقيق
أنت لست على حق لأن الآخرين يتفقون معك ، إنما أنت على حق لأن منطقتك وحقائقك على صواب
يمكننا كسب العيش من خلال ما نحصل عليه ، أما من خلال ما نعطيه ، فيمكننا أن نصنع حياة
الشدائد لا تبني الشخصية بل تكشفها
اوضح ساذرلاند في كتابه white collar crime قادة الأعمال وكذلك الشركات الكبيرة التى كانوا يديرونها، أشبه إلى حد كبير بلصوص محترفين.
وقال يوجين سولتس مؤلف كتاب why they Do it ان أكثر من ربع المسئولين التنفيذيين الذين شملهم الاستطلاع إنهم سيستخدمون تقديرهم المهني لإجراء تسويات محاسبية لتحقيق
أنت لست على حق لأن الآخرين يتفقون معك ، إنما أنت على حق لأن منطقتك وحقائقك على صواب
يمكننا كسب العيش من خلال ما نحصل عليه ، أما من خلال ما نعطيه ، فيمكننا أن نصنع حياة
June 18, 2025
Interesting. I heard Loehr on a podcast and was just crazy enough to buy the book. There are some very good things here and I've actually done a number of the activities that are presented. The one thing I probably need to do better, the journal. For those that struggle to be dedicated, this is a perfect book. For me, I'm already VERY dedicated and sometimes even too rigid, so there wasn't really anything new or overwhelmingly new for me to grasp onto.
Unfortunately, this took way too long to read because I found other books that "might" have caught my attention a little more.
Unfortunately, this took way too long to read because I found other books that "might" have caught my attention a little more.
February 9, 2025
This is buy far one of the best books on personal Development I have ever read. It is so insightful. Very well researched and written. After reading I will start now with the work book and I am really motivated to do that. It helps to align with yourself and your ambitions. I really think everyone would benefit reading that book. No matter if you have high goals or not. It is about getting to know yourself in many blind spots.
November 29, 2021
For anyone who has previously considered the content of their character, this is thin stuff. Better for first-timers, I suspect.
I'm working through the associated journaling process as part of an annual review and a potential pivot; perhaps that will change my view.
I'm working through the associated journaling process as part of an annual review and a potential pivot; perhaps that will change my view.
September 25, 2023
/ Grad School Read / This book really made me think and was a pretty easy read. It’s one I believe I’ll reference back to in the future. I liked the self reflection pieces too with the Character Call Outs and the accompanying journal prompts.
February 22, 2021
More a primer than a deep read. I love the philosophy and will take on the mission of crafting my personal credo “when I have more time.”
August 25, 2021
As a book not amazing. Repeats a lot
But the journaling that was done after is the valuable part of this. Brought light to many parts of who and how i am.
But the journaling that was done after is the valuable part of this. Brought light to many parts of who and how i am.
October 5, 2021
great book, especially the journaling part with the reflection questions.
December 21, 2021
Great book...insightful...love how it compares two counterbalancing principles...
February 15, 2022
Excellent business ethics book!
March 7, 2025
Pursue character development, not achievement or status. You will be remembered for how you made people feel, not what you did.
June 25, 2025
Eines der Bücher, dass man immer und immer wieder lesen muss. Zusammen mit dem Journal wird das eine intensive Reise zum Personal Credo
October 18, 2021
I'm only on day 15 of the journal writing. The topics have been illuminating so far. It is not a huge commitment (10 minutes a day), but the questions and answers run deep. I'm exercising patience to get to the actual personal credo formation (looks like it happens after about 80 days). Trusting the process like I would a training regimen. Edit: now on day 60 (missed a few days). It keeps getting better, glad I'm hanging in there. The inner voice writings are helpful.
The book discusses the distinction between moral strengths and performance strengths. It's all intertwined. However, "who you are" is ultimately far more important than "how well you do what you do". The great human tragedy is getting to the end and realizing too late that we spent our energy on the wrong stuff. The book and companion journal writings shift the focus to the real legacy we will leave behind which is more about values and the sort of person we become on our way forward.
As for the pronoun stuff another reviewer mentioned, well, I honestly didn't notice it in the print copy. I would not be deterred from reading this book because of that. Also, the evil the author speaks of in the book is about grave robbers? I thought that it was a compelling illustration.
The book discusses the distinction between moral strengths and performance strengths. It's all intertwined. However, "who you are" is ultimately far more important than "how well you do what you do". The great human tragedy is getting to the end and realizing too late that we spent our energy on the wrong stuff. The book and companion journal writings shift the focus to the real legacy we will leave behind which is more about values and the sort of person we become on our way forward.
As for the pronoun stuff another reviewer mentioned, well, I honestly didn't notice it in the print copy. I would not be deterred from reading this book because of that. Also, the evil the author speaks of in the book is about grave robbers? I thought that it was a compelling illustration.
December 20, 2021
One of the best leadership books I've read.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews