November 2026
Beginner to intermediate
242 pages
5h 1m
English
Content preview from A Day in the Life of a Senior Leader
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O’Reilly covers everything we've got, with content to help us build a world-class technology community, upgrade the capabilities and competencies of our teams, and improve overall team performance as well as their engagement.I wanted to learn C and C++, but it didn't click for me until I picked up an O'Reilly book. When I went on the O’Reilly platform, I was astonished to find all the books there, plus live events and sandboxes so you could play around with the technology.I’ve been on the O’Reilly platform for more than eight years. I use a couple of learning platforms, but I'm on O'Reilly more than anybody else. When you're there, you start learning. I'm never disappointed.I'm always learning. So when I got on to O'Reilly, I was like a kid in a candy store. There are playlists. There are answers. There's on-demand training. It's worth its weight in gold, in terms of what it allows me to do.
Chapter 1. The Seven Steps to the Morning Ramp
It is happening today. This is the ritual that makes you ready for it—the seven steps to your morning ramp. The order matters. Your order, not mine:
- Step 1: Get a fresh cup of coffee.
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Do this while things are still quiet. (I prefer black and strong.) Not a coffee drinker? Great, try chai or a glass of water. You just need a brief pause, a sip, between these steps. Now, read something unrelated to work to get the mental juices flowing. Skim the news. Work-adjacent stuff. Important but not urgent. You’re mentally stretching. Sip.
- Step 2: Clear your workspace.
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Maybe it’s your desk, maybe it’s your desktop, but spend three minutes making your space your own. Remove clutter or arrange your detritus. Everyone has a different version of this, but it’s an essential investment as the chaos begins. You aren’t sure what is going to happen today, but your immediate space will not be a distraction. Sip.
- Step 3: Attend to your inbox.
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Here’s a lesson I learned at Apple from a longtime manager: read everything. Your goal in the next 10–15 minutes is to read everything. If you’re squinting suspiciously at that idea, you are in one of two states:
- You have endless unreads.
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You have too much stuff inbound, and you never seem to have the time to get on top of it. Hey, I’ve been there, but this is a failing state for a senior leader. Your job is: everything. That’s why they gave you the gig; you are accountable for everything, which means your ...
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O’Reilly covers everything we've got, with content to help us build a world-class technology community, upgrade the capabilities and competencies of our teams, and improve overall team performance as well as their engagement.Julian F.
I wanted to learn C and C++, but it didn't click for me until I picked up an O'Reilly book. When I went on the O’Reilly platform, I was astonished to find all the books there, plus live events and sandboxes so you could play around with the technology.Addison B.
I’ve been on the O’Reilly platform for more than eight years. I use a couple of learning platforms, but I'm on O'Reilly more than anybody else. When you're there, you start learning. I'm never disappointed.Amir M.
I'm always learning. So when I got on to O'Reilly, I was like a kid in a candy store. There are playlists. There are answers. There's on-demand training. It's worth its weight in gold, in terms of what it allows me to do.