At the foundation of this episode are two important questions: 1) How do you take in information and learn rapidly, and 2) how do you improve and become better than you could ever imagine? Today's guest, Gerald J. Leonard, answers these questions through stories of his journey to become a professional bass player, an author publishing several books, and a Project Portfolio Management guru. In this episode, he shares a technique known as photo reading, which is a process of quickly absorbing a book to increase retention and curiosity. We also talk about jazz as a model for business, authentically being yourself no matter the environment you're in, why surrounding yourself with experts is critical to your professional growth, and how life is like a great song.