Why I Love Reading: Leadership Lessons from The Heart and the Fist

Some books meet you where you are. Others show you who you could be. The Heart and the Fist by Eric Greitens did both for me, and it did so without offering easy answers.

The Heart and the Fist by Eric Greitens

Why this book
At its core, this book explores a tension most leaders feel but rarely name. The belief that compassion and strength exist in opposition. Greitens dismantles that idea and makes a compelling case that leadership only works when both are present, fully and deliberately.

One idea I cannot stop thinking about
Doing good is not enough. You have to be strong enough to protect it. Values without resolve falter under pressure. Strength without ethics quickly loses its purpose. The work is holding both at the same time.

How it shaped how I lead and communicate
This book reinforced something I have come to believe through experience. Directness and empathy are not competing traits. I can be clear, honest, and firm, as long as I am equally committed to listening, understanding context, and respecting the people involved.

How I apply the lessons

• Strength in service of values
  Build decisive, strategic resolve that protects what matters, not personal comfort or ego.

• Empathetic courage
  Confront hard truths and make difficult decisions while staying grounded in care and understanding.

• Principled action
  Create cultures that are ethically rooted and resilient enough to withstand pressure and uncertainty.

Books like this are why I love reading. The right book does not just inform you, it disrupts you. It sharpens how you think, challenges how you see yourself, and changes how you show up. I will keep sharing the books that gave me language for what I already felt, and the courage to chart my own way forward. If you have any recommendations, please share! I always love a new read.