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It's Friday the 22nd of August and it's Jukebox Friday Night as well as Aotearoa /New Zealand's National Poetry Day.

Hence the theme "Poetry In Music" for songs or music inspired by poems, or songs or music that feel poetic.

Here's a poet who formed a rock band –

The Jim Carroll Band, "City Drops Into the Night" (1980)

"It's when the sneak thieves are checkin'
They're checkin the alleys for unlocked doors
And Billy's sister's gettin' frantic 'cause
'Cause Billy's sister's little brother can't score
It's when the woman from the dream is
Oh my God! That's the woman on the floor

Each promise was just one promise more

'Cause when the city drops into the night
Before the darkness there's one moment of light
When everything seems clear
The other side, it seems so near
What seemed wrong?
I think it's gonna be just about right
Before the city drops, the city drops
Into the night …"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YeRXgyzIGI

#JukeboxFridayNight #PoetryInMusic #TheJimCarrollBand #JimCarroll

🚨 One-Day Free Book Giveaway – Monday, July 28 🚨

I’ve got a challenge for you.

What if you could recognize every subtle behavior that drags you, your team, or your organization toward the comfort of average... and flip it on its head?

That’s exactly what I set out to explore in two sharply contrasting books:

📘 Embracing Mediocrity: How to Do Nothing Notable and Accomplish as Little as Possible

📗 Escaping Mediocrity: How to Accelerate Your Future and Achieve Breakthrough Results!

For one day only – Monday, July 28 – both books are FREE on the Kindle store.

These aren’t your typical leadership or business books. Embracing Mediocrity is a reverse-playbook: 125 devastatingly honest “strategies” for underachievement. It’s funny, biting, and just a little too familiar. Every one of us will recognize pieces of ourselves, our teams, or our organizations in its pages.

Escaping Mediocrity is the antidote. A powerhouse toolkit of 125 accelerants to fuel ambition, resilience, and breakthrough performance. It’s everything we need when we're ready to reject "good enough" and lean into what’s truly possible.

I wrote them to spark conversations. To challenge thinking. To wake people up.
They're meant to be read individually, shared with teams, or used to provoke insight in leadership sessions and keynotes.

👉 Get them for free on Kindle – July 28 only.

👉 If they spark something in you, I’d love it if you shared a review, posted about them, or mentioned them in a blog, newsletter, or wherever you engage with others.

Help me get the word out, because everyone who has looked at the books have found them to be fun, insightful and challenging!

Let’s stop settling.

Let’s start leading.

And let’s have a little fun along the way.

**#Leadership** **#Innovation** **#Books** **#Mediocrity** **#FutureReady** **#TeamPerformance** **#JimCarroll**

https://www.amazon.com/Embracing-Mediocrity-Nothing-Accomplish-Possible-ebook/dp/B0F91YBG4H/

and

https://www.amazon.com/Escaping-Mediocrity-Accelerate-Achieve-Breakthrough-ebook/dp/B0F996W4VD/

🚀 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐏 𝐖𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆. 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐁𝐔𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆!
After 30 years of advising leaders through seismic shifts, I've learned this: The future doesn't knock. It kicks down the door.

I've watched organizations crumble while others explode into new possibilities. The difference? They moved first.

Since 2004, I've written multiple books that cover what leaders need to know. Many have focused around the core issue of today - speed, agility, change and flexibility. Each book is a powerful map to how you can accelerate yourself into tomorrow.

Here they are:

⚡ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐔𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐒𝐓 → Speed isn't just an advantage anymore. It's survival. But raw speed without direction is chaos.

🎯 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐘, 𝐒𝐄𝐓, 𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐄. → This is your execution playbook. When "faster is the new fast," you need systems that turn ideas into reality before your competition even starts planning.

🐸 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐆𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐄𝐗𝐀𝐒 → Stop looking at the wrong threats. This book exposes the "aggressive indecision" that's killing leaders right now—while the real disruption creeps up unseen.

💥 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐁𝐈𝐆, 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐒𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐋, 𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐒𝐓! → Your blueprint for turning impossible dreams into inevitable reality. No more analysis paralysis. No more "someday" strategies.

🌧️ 𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍 → When everyone else is running for cover, you'll be the leader who turns economic storms into your biggest competitive advantage.

🔥 𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓? → For those crossroads moments when everything you knew gets flipped upside down. Optimism isn't just nice to have—it's the fuel that powers reinvention.

This isn't theory. This is your survival kit.

The leaders who thrive in the next decade won't be the ones with the best plans.
They'll be the ones who moved while others hesitated.

Your complete guide awaits: books.by.jimcarroll.com

What future are you building? 👇

**#Leadership** **#Innovation** **#FutureOfWork** **#BusinessStrategy** **#ChangeManagement** **#Reinvention** **#Agility** **#JimCarroll** **#Author** **#BusinessBooks** **#GrowthMindset** **#ExecutionOverEverything** **#DisruptOrBeDisrupted**

In a world that's constantly evolving, the ability to innovate – even in the face of chaos – is paramount. That's why I'm excited about my new books "Dancing in the Rain," "Embracing Mediocrity," and "Escaping Mediocrity."

These powerful new releases are designed to help you "Accelerate Into 2025!" and tackle the ultimate innovation flex: challenging yourself and your team to conquer mediocrity and seize opportunity - and to get over all this uncertainty and volatility that is causing you to freeze!

Whether you're looking to grow stronger in stormy times or accelerate your future and achieve breakthrough results, these books give you the roadmap.

Dive into powerful insights on innovation, trends, success, and opportunity.

Grab your sample chapters and start your journey:

🔗 "Dancing in the Rain": dancing.jimcarroll.com

🔗 "Embracing Mediocrity" & "Escaping Mediocrity": mediocrity.jimcarroll.com

**#InnovationStrategy** **#LeadershipDevelopment** **#FutureTrends** **#BusinessGrowth** **#JimCarroll** **#AgileLeadership** **#ProblemSolving** **#NewRelease**

Pre-orders are officially LIVE!

I'm incredibly excited to announce that my new book, "𝐷𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑅𝑎𝑖𝑛: 𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝐵𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝐿𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝐺𝑟𝑜𝑤 𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑛 𝑆𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑦 𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑠," is now available for pre-order, with delivery expected in July 2025!

For over 30 years, I've had the privilege of guiding organizations through disruption and change, witnessing firsthand that "the future does not wait for the cautious. It belongs to the bold". This book distills decades of insight into a practical blueprint for leaders navigating today's complex world.

"Dancing in the Rain" challenges the conventional wisdom that "the best thing to do is to hunker down and wait it out" during uncertainty. Instead, it champions the idea that "the smartest strategy is to 'just say no' to the narrative" of pessimism, and that "mindset is the first move" to seizing opportunity.

This book is EXACTLY what you need right now!

You'll learn why "the future accelerates toward those who refuse to stand still", and how to cultivate the resilience to "dance in the rain" by embracing action, driving innovation, and transforming challenges into growth opportunities. This book is your roadmap to not just survive, but to truly thrive, when the skies grow dark.

Pre-order your copy today and get ready to lead stronger in stormy times!

**#DancingInTheRain** **#Leadership** **#Innovation** **#PreOrder** **#BusinessBooks** **#JimCarroll** **#FutureTrends** **#Resilience** **#ThoughtLeadership**

𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 30 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘬𝘦𝘺𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘵, 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭.

And here's what I know. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀.

Most organizations fail. Not because they want to, but because they continue to let mediocre behaviors rule their culture.
That's the insight that inspired my two latest books, each tackling innovation and growth from a unique angle.

The first book, "𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗼 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗮𝘀 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲," is not your typical leadership manual. Instead, I wrote it as a playful, satirical mirror held up to reveal the subtle yet pervasive ways teams unknowingly settle for less. Over the years, I've noticed how easy it is for organizations to drift into habits that quietly sabotage their potential, keeping them comfortably but frustratingly average. This book vividly highlights these self-defeating behaviors, enabling you to recognize and steer clear of them.

I dare you to share it with your team, and ask them to identify the behaviors they admit to being guilty of.

Then comes its companion, "𝘌𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘔𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺: 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘈𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘍𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘉𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴!" It directly addresses the mindset shifts and practical actions required to break free from those ingrained patterns. It urges you to push beyond your comfort zones, chase bold thinking, embrace calculated risks, and pursue genuine excellence.

𝘓𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘮𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦, 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘦𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘱𝘵.

Together, these books offer a powerful combination. "𝙀𝙢𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙈𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙤𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮" helps pinpoint and understand the hidden reasons teams stall, while "𝙀𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙈𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙤𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮" equips you with strategies and inspiration to overcome these barriers and thrive. I've consistently witnessed that the path to excellence, though challenging, is infinitely more rewarding than settling for less.

Ready to elevate your team's critical thinking, challenge the status quo, and spark meaningful innovation? These books are your starting point.

They're both on Amazon now, and available directly from me.

It's all at **mediocrity.jimcarroll.com**

**#LeadershipDevelopment** **#Innovation** **#TeamBuilding** **#CriticalThinking** **#BusinessStrategy** **#JimCarroll** **#EscapingMediocrity** **#EmbracingMediocrity** **#FutureProofing** **#OrganizationalChange**

Playing a teenaged drug addict wasn't an easy thing for Leonardo DiCaprio to do, but he thought his role in 1995's "The Basketball Diaries" brought out the best in him.

https://www.hollywoodoutbreak.com/2025/04/21/basketball-diaries-drained-leonardo-dicaprio-just-as-hed-hoped/

#TheBasketballDiaries #LeonardoDiCaprio #JimCarroll #CultClassic #1990s #1990sMovies #90s #90sMovies #MovieAnniversary #Movies #MovieNews #Entertainment #EntertainmentNews #Celebrities #Celebrity #CelebrityNews #CelebrityInterviews

Embrace and escape!

I've never had more fun writing my 41st and 42nd books! I tackle what I've seen in 30 years of examining innovation success and innovation failure, and have wrapped them into two concise overviews that go hand in hand.

Today, I'm getting images together for Escaping Mediocrity, arriving by May 15, while watching sales for Embracing Mediocrity, which is already in print.

Two books. One powerful message!

Get yours - learn more!

**#EmbraciongMediocrity** **#EscapingMediocrity** **#JimCarroll** **#Futurist** **#PersonalDevelopment** **#CareerGrowth** **#SelfHelp** **#BusinessBooks** **#MindsetShift** **#ProfessionalGrowth** **#LeadershipDevelopment** **#BreakthroughResults** **#SelfImprovement** **#Motivation** **#Success** **#CareerAdvice** **#PersonalGrowth** **#MediocritySeries** **#BookRelease** **#ProductivityTips**

https://mediocrity.jimcarroll.com

Have you ever written your own personal version of People Who Died?

People Who Died - The Jim Carroll Band

#nowplaying #music #JimCarroll

https://open.spotify.com/track/5mcaY65WhtzFk1TFRGY6kY?si=0203b5cc707849b5

Jukebox Friday Night on 23 Feb focuses on those Gone Too Soon (basically, most of them), and much-loved musicians who left the building before an encore.

Also remembering lakes, rivers, and anything else that we've lost …

Jim Carroll made it to 60 (Aug 1949 ~Sep 2009).

The Jim Carroll Band, "People Who Died" (1980, live 1984 with Jim Carroll and Lou Reed at Capitol Theatre, Passaic NJ)

#JukeboxFridayNight #GoneTooSoon #JimCarrollBand #JimCarroll #LouReed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oxJmvSpap0