Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 23 minutes ago
Hey everybody,
Welcome to Chapter 50 of 3 Books!
We’re going to hang out on a hotel room couch in Vancouver for a little bit of calm.
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 are 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.
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 bestseller,
'Love + Work: How to Find What You Love, Love What You Do, and Do It for the Rest of Your Life'.
What does Marcus do now? He is currently focusing on his book, 'Design Love In', and leading his coaching and education firm, the Buckingham Institute.
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 more 3 Books? Check out my top interviews with:
Brené Brown youtube.com/watch?v=X5l-Auv7h8Y
Quentin Tarantino youtube.com/watch?v=VVFdvfiPB-w
David Sedaris youtube.com/watch?v=wzz8tqnz1mI
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
Hey everybody,
Welcome to Chapter 50 of 3 Books!
We’re going to hang out on a hotel room couch in Vancouver for a little bit of calm.
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 are 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.
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 bestseller,
'Love + Work: How to Find What You Love, Love What You Do, and Do It for the Rest of Your Life'.
What does Marcus do now? He is currently focusing on his book, 'Design Love In', and leading his coaching and education firm, the Buckingham Institute.
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 more 3 Books? Check out my top interviews with:
Brené Brown youtube.com/watch?v=X5l-Auv7h8Y
Quentin Tarantino youtube.com/watch?v=VVFdvfiPB-w
David Sedaris youtube.com/watch?v=wzz8tqnz1mI
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
