Contributed by Michael Brody-Waite, a recovered addict of 18 years who uses his incredible experience with addiction and recovery to benefit leaders and entrepreneurs who want to step into their own authentic leadership style. He’s the author of Great Leaders Live Like Drug Addicts: How to Lead Like Your Life Depends on It and was a recent EO 360 podcast guest.

The Question

In teaching leaders a step-by-step program to find their own authentic leadership style, I often look inward and ask questions about where I can improve my practice of rigorous authenticity.

Doing so often inspires difficult questions, including this one: 

What are you holding onto because of what people will think?

If I answer that myself, I have to say that I have a large book collection. I love reading, highlighting and learning.

And—confession time—I keep most of my books around to impress YOU.

The Story

For the last 10 years, I have moved my entire book collection from house to house.

Each time we moved, they stayed boxed up in the attic or garage.
Each time, my wife begged me, “Can we please donate the ones you don’t love to people who need them?”
Each time, I responded, “No way. I’m going to have a library someday!”

And if I get rigorously authentic, I want that library someday so that I can impress you.