Hi Everyone,

Happy Friday! Thanks for spending part of it reading The Lake Street Journal.

This week we’re talking about LBJ’s storytelling, maxims, and DIY garage projects. Let's get into it.

Spinners of the Yarn

Great leaders are always great storytellers.

Teddy Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, FDR, and LBJ were all spinners of the yarn. They told stories to make a friend, make a point, and make an impact on their country.

As Robert Caro wrote of LBJ's storytelling ability:

"Lyndon Johnson's sentences were the sentences of a man with a remarkable gift for words...A special interest group was never merely weak, it was 'not much stronger than a popcorn fart.'"

A joint committee was, "useless as tits on a bull."

Some men were, "as wise as a tree full of owls" while others were, "as busy as a man with one hoe and two rattlesnakes."

But it wasn't just his sentences. It was his gift for mimicry. His timing. His delivery. His expressions. Even the way he used his hands in, "the schoolteacher habit of laying his fingers down to make his points—one, two, three."

"His whole body spoke with expressive posture and gestures," wrote Caro. "Afternoon after afternoon, the staff in the outer office of Suite 231  would hear warm, delighted laughter from behind the closed door of Johnson's private office."

"People like to laugh, and he made the senators laugh," said Warren Woodward, a friend and associate of Johnson, "So it was just natural that they liked Mr. Johnson."

But Johnson's goal wasn't just to make people laugh. He liked to make a point with his stories, too.

"To emphasize the importance of the Democrats presenting their image as a compassionate party," wrote Caro, "he would tell a story that showed the GOP's image was quite different, saying that a Texan who needed a heart transplant was given his choice of three hearts: one from a healthy twenty-three-year-old skiing champion who had just been killed in an avalanche; one from a healthy twenty-year-old football player who had just died of a football injury. 'Of course,' the surgeon added, 'there's also this seventy-nine-year-old Republican banker who's just passed away.' The man thought a moment, and said he would take the banker's heart. When the surgeon asked why, the man said, 'I just wanted to make sure I was getting a heart that had never been used.'"

That ability to make people laugh or to make a point in an indirect way is a priceless skill for any leader. And like most skills, it can be learned, trained, and honed through deliberate practice.

Through collecting colorful phrases like the ones Johnson wielded. 

Through rehearsal in private and practice in public.

Through years of reading, listening to, and, most importantly, telling stories.

As Morgan Housel wrote recently, "The Chris Rock I see on Netflix is hilarious, flawless. The Chris Rock that performs in dozens of small clubs each year is just OK."

If one of the best comedians in the world has to practice his storytelling, you will too. But it's a practice that will pay dividends over a lifetime of leading people.

It's no coincidence that some of America's greatest presidents were also known as great storytellers. For anyone aspiring to be a great leader, it's a skill you can't do without.

A Bunch of Useful Maxims

Along the same lines as storytelling, great leaders can distill import concepts down to a few memorable words.

David Senra famously does this with the most important ideas from history's greatest entrepreneurs on his podcast, Founders.

Eric Jorgenson collected 100+ of David's maxims from his podcast. It's a great list, and I like how many of these ideas apply to leadership too. A few of my favorites:

• Ordinary things, done with extraordinary focus, over an extraordinary period of time.

• Reading is not hard—pick up a book and stare at it. If you're not doing that, you're not serious.

• There are ideas worth billions in a $30 history book.

• Be intolerant of slowness.

• A players hire A players; B players hire C players.

• Pay peanuts, get monkeys.

Garage Storage Ideas

A couple months ago I shared a video on a garage re-model, and a bunch of you seemed to like it. I found another similar video this week that gave me some good ideas.

Thought you might enjoy this one too.

Workout of the Week

This is a great workout for when you want to sweat a little without crushing yourself.

"Easy Rider"

5 rounds:

• 500m row (2 min pace)

• 1 min rest

• 500m ski erg (2:05 pace)

• 1 min rest

Pick a pace that's easy to moderate for both machines and enjoy this recovery workout.

Quote of the Week

“You aren’t advertising to a standing army; you’re advertising to a moving parade.” - David Ogilvy

Have a question or a comment? Respond to this email.

Talk soon,

Joe