What if one of the biggest pain points of your day could become your greatest professional development opportunity? As the Executive Dean of Online Learning and Faculty Development at D’Youville University in Buffalo, NY, I’ve discovered that one of the most impactful tools for professional growth isn’t found in the latest research or newest technology—it’s in the mundane repetitiveness of my daily commute. This article explores how I flipped the boredom of my daily two-hour commute into my most impactful professional development practice through audiobooks, and how it has shaped my approach to online learning leadership and institutional growth.
Converting Commute Time into Professional Development Time
When I started at D’Youville University in 2017, I faced a significant daily commute, one hour each way. Rather than viewing this as two hours out of my day that I will never get back, I saw an opportunity to create a new professional development habit. I am a believer in the old adage that you “eat the elephant one bite at a time,” and wanted to put it into practice. Thanks to Audible and their free book a month, I’ve transformed what could have been unproductive hours into “me time” that has yielded remarkable returns over seven years.
The impact of engaging with over 80 books during this period has been substantial on my personal and professional journey. Not all 80 were work-related, but each one has provided unique perspectives, challenged my assumptions, and opened my eyes to new approaches to leadership and organizational management. I truly believe this consistent exposure of diverse ideas has reshaped the lens through which I view and navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of online and higher education. I would like to share some of those key takeaways now.
Key Themes in Leadership Literature
Through my journey, five key themes have emerged as particularly relevant to online learning leadership:
Leadership Philosophy and Style
Books like Servant Leadership in Action, Leaders Eat Last, and Extreme Ownership have fundamentally changed how I view my role at D’Youville. My goal is to provide leadership that balances accountability with innovation, responsibility with flexibility. These authors emphasize that true leadership isn’t about position or power, but rather about creating an environment where teams can thrive through servant leadership, taking full ownership of every situation, and the courage to adapt when circumstances demand change.
Organizational Excellence and Strategy
Implementing frameworks from Good to Great and Measure What Matters has transformed how we approach strategic planning. Using the analogy of the “flywheel effect” has given a visual to what often seems like slow, methodical change which is hard to implement. We’ve adopted the Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) framework to align our quarterly online learning goals with the broader institutional strategic plan, ensuring we can measure impact and adjust course as needed. Sustainable success comes not from sporadic improvements but from consistent application of proven principles, measured progress, and long-term thinking.
Personal Growth and Mindset
Personal development and mindset form the crux of my views on leadership and growth, with authors like Carol Dweck – Mindset, Jame Clear – Atomic Habits, and Ryan Holiday – Ego is the Enemy illuminating the path from fixed to growth mindset. These authors show that success comes through deliberate habit formation, continuous learning, and the humility to acknowledge when our ego gets in the way of progress. Their combined insights reveal that leadership excellence is not innate but developed through conscious effort, systematic practice, and the willingness to embrace discomfort for growth.
Overcoming Challenges and Alternative Solutions
The Obstacle is the Way and What Got You Here Won’t Get You There offer up a powerful perspective on turning obstacles into opportunities and identifying blind spots in leadership behavior. Their works suggest that what differentiates successful leaders isn’t the absence of challenges but their approach to facing them. Oftentimes we gain our position via our individual accomplishments, but team success requires a fundamental shift in perspective. You are no longer measured by your accomplishments, rather how well the team does. Together, these authors teach that the very obstacles we face can become our greatest opportunities for growth and innovation when viewed through the right lens.
Purpose and Inspiration
Start with Why has helped us better articulate the purpose behind our online learning initiatives. Unreasonable Hospitality shares insights on going above and beyond in service and leadership. Their insights reveal that extraordinary results come from combining clear purpose with unreasonable dedication to service excellence. These authors demonstrate that when leaders start with purpose and commit to exceptional service, they create environments where both innovation and excellence can flourish.
Starting Your Own Reading Practice
If you are thinking about establishing a similar practice, here are some recommendations:
- Start Small: Find space in your daily routine. It could be via your commute or while at soccer practice. 30-minutes is all you need to start the habit. Try to work your way up to one book per month.
- Mix Your Content: While leadership books are valuable, include works on psychology, technology trends, and educational theory for a broader perspective. Be sure to include topics away from work as well. Feel free to indulge in your hobbies.
- Make It Practical: After each book, identify one or two ideas you can implement immediately in your institution. I found myself jotting down ideas as soon as I arrived in the office so I would not forget.
- Build Community: Create informal reading groups with colleagues to share insights and maintain momentum. If you don’t have a group, at least talk about your experience with others.
- Use Technology Wisely: Leverage audiobooks and digital platforms to fit reading into your existing routine. Don’t be afraid to mix in physical books into your practice. If I really like an audiobook I often buy the paperback so I can easily reference it.
Conclusion
Leadership development doesn’t always require expensive seminars or formal training programs. Sometimes, the most effective growth opportunities come from creatively reimagining the challenges we face daily. By transforming my commute into a consistent learning experience through audiobooks, I’ve built a sustainable practice that continues to inform and enhance my leadership style.
The books and themes discussed here offer a starting point, but the real opportunity lies in finding your own “productivity hacks”—those moments in your day that could be transformed into opportunities for growth. As leaders in online learning, our ability to model innovative approaches to continuous learning sets an example for our institutions and, ultimately, enriches the educational experience we provide our students.
Favorite Books (in alphabetical order)
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Built to Last by Jim Collins
Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday
Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink
Good to Great by Jim Collins
It’s Your Ship by Captain Micheal Abrashoff
Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek
Leadershift by John Maxwell
Measure What Matters by John Doerr
Mindset by Carol Dweck
Servant Leadership in Action by Ken Blanchard
Start with Why by Simon Sinek
Team of Teams by General Stanley McChrystal
The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin
The Dichotomy of Leadership by Jocko Willink
The Four Disciplines of Execution by Sean Covey
The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek
The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday
Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara
What Got You Here Won’t Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith
*Join the IELOL webinar this afternoon (December 10, at 4:00 pm ET)*