Uploaded March 2020 | Updated September 2026, 9 hours ago
3 Books is a completely insane and totally epic 15-year-long quest to uncover the 1000 most formative books in the world. Each chapter is hosted live and in-person at the guest's preferred location by Neil Pasricha, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Awesome, The Happiness Equation, Two-Minute Mornings, etc. Each chapter of 3 Books uncovers and discusses the three most formative books from one of the world's most inspiring people. Sample guests include: Judy Blume, David Sedaris, Chris Anderson of TED, the founder of the world's largest feminist magazine, the world's greatest Uber driver, Pete Holmes, Angie Thomas, and Malcolm Gladwell. Each of the 333 chapters is dropped on the exact minute of every single new moon and full moon until September 1, 2031. 3 Books is an Apple "Best Of" award-winning show and 100% ad-free, commercial-free, sponsor-free, and interruption-free. For more info check out: 3books.co
------------------------
Welcome to Chapter 50 of 3 Books!
Yes, in the midst of Coronavirus chaos we’re going to hang out on a hotel room couch in Vancouver for a little bit of calm. (PS. If you haven’t listened to the Surprise Waning Crescent episode of 3 Books all about Coronavirus please check that out first.)
I am very excited to have you on the couch beside me and the absolutely incredible Marcus Buckingham.
Who is Marcus?
Well, if you’re in the business world, you’ve probably heard of him. Why? Well, he’s written books sitting on every executive’s bookshelf and his assessments and work is used everywhere. Marcus Buckingham is a global
researcher and thought leader focused on unlocking people's strengths, increasing their performance, and pioneering the future of how people work. I have a feeling his work is going to be much needed after Coronavirus! How did Marcus end up doing this job?
Well, after working as Senior Researcher inside Gallup for a couple of decades he co-authored some of the most popular business books of all time including:
First Break All The Rules,
Now Discover Your Strengths, and his latest bestseller,
Nine Lies About Work.
What does Marcus do now? He guides the vision of ADP Research Institute as Head of People and Performance and in 2006 he founded the Marcus Buckingham Company, with the clear mission to instigate a “strengths revolution.”
I love the optimism behind his work. That people are born as acorns, with an imprint inside them on what they could be, and what their true potential could lead them to.
I sat down with Marcus overlooking the foggy mountains over Vancouver Harbour just before he took to the stage for the headlining slot at The Art of Leadership.
We cover a lot of topics in this chapter including:
How do we learn to truly see our children?
How can the education system be improved?
How do we avoid tribalism?
What is the real definition of weird?
What’s the single best question to ask yourself when trying to articulate your strengths?
And how can we find our own unique way to draw strength and love from life?
I found Marcus to be brave, vulnerable, and inspiring in this conversation. Years ago, when I worked at Walmart, we used Marcus’s books and videos in our training sessions. Getting a chance to sit down with him many years later to discuss his 3 most formative books was a rare treat.
Let’s go…
SUBSCRIBE: bit.ly/2HHWPYg
Hey there,
I'm Neil and I spend a ton of time thinking, writing, podcasting, and speaking about living intentionally. I'm the New York Times bestselling author of six books including The Book of Awesome and The Happiness Equation. I've been lucky to speak at places like TED, SXSW, and Google. And I host a huge passion project called the 3 Books podcast.
Want to read more of my stuff?
https://www.neil.blog/archive/
Want to check out my podcast?
3books.co
Want to learn about my live events?
globalhappiness.org/speaking
Want my monthly book recos?
1000awesomethings.com/reading-club
Want my articles on intentional living?
https://www.neil.blog/newsletter/
I am also on the following drugs:
Facebook: facebook.com/NeilPasricha
Twitter: twitter.com/neilpasricha
Instagram: instagram.com/neilpasricha
Lastly, thanks so much for watching this vid.
👊,
Neil
neil@globalhappiness.org
3 Books is a completely insane and totally epic 15-year-long quest to uncover the 1000 most formative books in the world. Each chapter is hosted live and in-person at the guest's preferred location by Neil Pasricha, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Awesome, The Happiness Equation, Two-Minute Mornings, etc. Each chapter of 3 Books uncovers and discusses the three most formative books from one of the world's most inspiring people. Sample guests include: Judy Blume, David Sedaris, Chris Anderson of TED, the founder of the world's largest feminist magazine, the world's greatest Uber driver, Pete Holmes, Angie Thomas, and Malcolm Gladwell. Each of the 333 chapters is dropped on the exact minute of every single new moon and full moon until September 1, 2031. 3 Books is an Apple "Best Of" award-winning show and 100% ad-free, commercial-free, sponsor-free, and interruption-free. For more info check out: 3books.co
------------------------
Welcome to Chapter 50 of 3 Books!
Yes, in the midst of Coronavirus chaos we’re going to hang out on a hotel room couch in Vancouver for a little bit of calm. (PS. If you haven’t listened to the Surprise Waning Crescent episode of 3 Books all about Coronavirus please check that out first.)
I am very excited to have you on the couch beside me and the absolutely incredible Marcus Buckingham.
Who is Marcus?
Well, if you’re in the business world, you’ve probably heard of him. Why? Well, he’s written books sitting on every executive’s bookshelf and his assessments and work is used everywhere. Marcus Buckingham is a global
researcher and thought leader focused on unlocking people's strengths, increasing their performance, and pioneering the future of how people work. I have a feeling his work is going to be much needed after Coronavirus! How did Marcus end up doing this job?
Well, after working as Senior Researcher inside Gallup for a couple of decades he co-authored some of the most popular business books of all time including:
First Break All The Rules,
Now Discover Your Strengths, and his latest bestseller,
Nine Lies About Work.
What does Marcus do now? He guides the vision of ADP Research Institute as Head of People and Performance and in 2006 he founded the Marcus Buckingham Company, with the clear mission to instigate a “strengths revolution.”
I love the optimism behind his work. That people are born as acorns, with an imprint inside them on what they could be, and what their true potential could lead them to.
I sat down with Marcus overlooking the foggy mountains over Vancouver Harbour just before he took to the stage for the headlining slot at The Art of Leadership.
We cover a lot of topics in this chapter including:
How do we learn to truly see our children?
How can the education system be improved?
How do we avoid tribalism?
What is the real definition of weird?
What’s the single best question to ask yourself when trying to articulate your strengths?
And how can we find our own unique way to draw strength and love from life?
I found Marcus to be brave, vulnerable, and inspiring in this conversation. Years ago, when I worked at Walmart, we used Marcus’s books and videos in our training sessions. Getting a chance to sit down with him many years later to discuss his 3 most formative books was a rare treat.
Let’s go…
SUBSCRIBE: bit.ly/2HHWPYg
Hey there,
I'm Neil and I spend a ton of time thinking, writing, podcasting, and speaking about living intentionally. I'm the New York Times bestselling author of six books including The Book of Awesome and The Happiness Equation. I've been lucky to speak at places like TED, SXSW, and Google. And I host a huge passion project called the 3 Books podcast.
Want to read more of my stuff?
https://www.neil.blog/archive/
Want to check out my podcast?
3books.co
Want to learn about my live events?
globalhappiness.org/speaking
Want my monthly book recos?
1000awesomethings.com/reading-club
Want my articles on intentional living?
https://www.neil.blog/newsletter/
I am also on the following drugs:
Facebook: facebook.com/NeilPasricha
Twitter: twitter.com/neilpasricha
Instagram: instagram.com/neilpasricha
Lastly, thanks so much for watching this vid.
👊,
Neil
neil@globalhappiness.org
