The Vagrant
THE INNER JOURNEY OF LEADERSHIP
I had a story in my heart over 10 years. A high-performing leader engages in self-defeating behaviors – but he’s blind to his screw ups. I tried writing the story. But it escaped me. That’s when I made one the best decisions of my Leadership Freak experience. I reached out to John David Mann.
I knew about John from the wildly successful Go-Giver he wrote with my friend, Bob Burb. Thankfully he accepted my invitation, and I ended up telling John the story in a nutshell.

It feels awkward to ask for help.
Thankfully, I overcame my discomfort, and I aimed high when I reached out to John. John said, “Yes.” One brief conversation became a relationship that produced The Vagrant.
I hope you love this little story as much as I do.
3 takeaways:
- Talented people unintentionally hold themselves back.
- Self-reflection in isolation leads to self-deception.
- Everything great in leadership (and in life) begins with humility.
5 projects:
There are 5 self-reflection projects in the book that help propel you over common self-defeating behaviors.
Structured self-reflection transforms leaders from the inside out.
At the end of the book, you’ll find a set of discussion questions to use in a group or with your team.
P.S. When you read The Vagrant you will meet a highly talented character, but he’s blind to his own self-defeating behaviors. It’s not a biographical story, but I’ve done every dumb thing that entangles Bob, the protagonist in the story.
PODCASTS
- It’s All About the Questions (Dan) with Laura Steward, 9-21-23 (Live audio 63 m)
- The Sales Leadership Show (Dan) with Phil Gerbyshak, 9-18-23 (live video 37 m)
- Coffee in the Clouds (DAN & JOHN) with Tom Capone, 9-12-23 (audio & video 36 m)
- The Story Power Marketing Show (DAN) with Tom Ruwitch, 9-6-23 (audio 38 m)
- Break Through Walls (DAN) with Ken Wall (video 56 m)
- What’s the Point? (DAN) with Bill Ellis, 8-22-23 (audio 47 m)
- Unlocking Your World of Creativity (DAN) with Mark Stinson, 7-31-23 (audio 26 m)
- Thriving in Business and Life (DAN) with Will T. Wilkinson and Christopher Harding, 7-28-23 (audio 40 m)
- The Daily Writer (JOHN) with Kent Sanders, 6-15-23 (audio 52 m)