In this Author POV, we highlight Let Me Lead: Escaping the Experience Bias and Excelling as an Early Career Professional by Dr. Seger Morris. The book examines how experience bias can limit young professionals and the organizations that employ them.
Written for both early-career professionals and the leaders who mentor them, Let Me Lead explores career advancement, ageism in the workplace, leadership, burnout, and professional development. Through real-world examples and Morris's Synergy Blueprint, the book offers practical strategies for recognizing individual strengths, finding opportunities to lead, and creating greater synergy between personal and professional life.
Can you introduce your book for librarians who may be discovering it for the first time?
Being a professional at the start of one's career often feels limiting and discouraging. With a job market that is growing more crowded and competitive, employers are increasingly stressing time and experience as the "golden ticket" to career advancement rather than investing in passion and potential.
When organizations fall into the pattern of prioritizing experience, they amplify the bias society holds against youth and miss out on the innovation-driving talents young professionals provide. Organizational growth, along with that of a young workforce, is stunted as a result.
In Let Me Lead: Escaping the Experience Bias and Excelling as an Early Career Professional, I shine a light on this form of ageism across professions and show readers how to overcome it. Using real-life examples that transcend industries, the book explores how to avoid the experience pitfall and better foster innovation, overcome victimhood in ageism, and create synergy between one's personal and professional life for greater impact.
Whether you're an early-career professional tired of begging for a seat at the table or an executive looking to broaden your perspective as a leader and mentor, Let Me Lead offers a practical guide for transforming the conversation.
What inspired you to write this book, and what core themes do you hope readers take away from it?
I wrote Let Me Lead because I wanted to have an impact on the lives of early-career professionals by paying forward key lessons from a critical stage in my own career.
The primary message is that our youth must call out the bias against them, invest in learning their natural talents, find the right leadership setting in which to apply those talents, and use a blueprint, The Synergy Blueprint, to keep them on track for success.
An equally important theme is that those in positions of authority must recognize their own biases and consciously empower young professionals to make an impact.
What kind of readers or patrons do you see this book resonating with most?
Let Me Lead is written for early-career professionals and those who seek to mentor and lead them. This audience includes adult readers interested in personal and professional development, career advancement, organizational growth, management, and leadership.
What themes or discussion topics do you hope librarians highlight when recommending the book?
First, I hope this book amplifies the discussion about how to engage our youth so they feel confident they can have an impact. This requires an honest discussion about the existing bias against young people in the workplace and society at large.
Part III of Let Me Lead also presents a contrarian take on career satisfaction that seeks to challenge the concept of work-life balance in favor of seeking synergy as a way to address burnout.
Lastly, Let Me Lead culminates with The Synergy Blueprint, a concise framework for defining and pursuing your own path to success.
Are there any sensitive topics or content considerations librarians should be aware of?
The tone of the book is direct and sometimes blunt. Occasional curse words are used for emphasis or appear within quoted material.
If your book were part of a library display, what topics, themes, or comparable titles would you pair it with?
I would pair Let Me Lead with books about career development, leadership, workplace culture, professional growth, mentorship, and organizational development.
Comparable titles include Atomic Habits by James Clear, Start with Why by Simon Sinek, The Speed of Trust by Stephen M. R. Covey, How to Lead When You're Not in Charge by Clay Scroggins, and Physician Leadership by Karen J. Nichols, DO.
Are there companion resources librarians or educators should know about?
Not at this time, although additional resources, including an online course, are under consideration for development.
Which formats are currently available?
Let Me Lead is available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats. Bulk discounts are also available.
How could this book be used in community events or themed programming throughout the year?
Let Me Lead could support programming for National Career Development Month in November. Libraries could also partner with local universities, professional associations, or business organizations that serve students and early-career professionals for career-development and leadership programming.
Do you offer author engagement options for schools or libraries?
Yes. Speaking engagements are available for schools, libraries, and other organizations.
To learn more about Dr. Seger Morris, Let Me Lead, speaking engagements, and resources for early-career professionals and leaders, visit Seger Morris's Let Me Lead website.
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