Marcus Aurelius Anderson sits down for a return visit with J. Jason Hicks — author, technologist, and storyteller — to dig into his new nonfiction book The War of Leadership: Hard Lessons and Practical Truths for Surviving In and Beyond Leadership. Drawing from 30 years in the corporate world, Jason unpacks the uncomfortable truths that no one tells new leaders: the manipulation, the blind spots, the politics, and the quiet treachery of organizational life. Marcus and Jason explore why awareness of dark leadership tactics doesn't make you a bad leader — it makes you a prepared one. They also cover the craft of writing, the role of AI in creative work, and why the human element in art, music, and literature will never be replaceable.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

The Dark Side of Leadership — 2:16 Jason reads the defining passage from the book: "You'll be misled. You will be asked to mislead..." — a raw, unflinching look at how leadership corrupts incrementally, and how good people get drawn into cycles they never intended to be part of.
The Blame Game & Double-Edged Sword — 6:23 Marcus and Jason break down how leaders attack their predecessors while their own teams are quietly building a case against them. Leadership blind spots, self-preservation, and the vicious cycle of blame are all on the table.
The Message in a Bottle — 12:05 Jason reveals who he really wrote this book for: the bright-eyed, naive young professional walking into the arena with no idea what's coming. This is the intel he wishes someone had given him early in his career.
Agreeable and Wrong vs. Disagreeable and Right — 17:57 One of the most quotable moments of the episode: Jason drops the line "It's better to be agreeable and wrong than disagreeable and right — you'll be remembered for being disagreeable, not for being right." Marcus and Jason unpack the tactical wisdom of knowing when to push back and when to let the dust settle.

Jason Hicks was born in Deerfield, Illinois, raised in New Berlin, Wisconsin, and graduated from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh where he studied English literature, religions, and early Christianity. While attending a television screenwriting course, he won the department's screenwriting award for a Star Trek: The Next Generation script — then spent the next 30 years successfully avoiding writing while building a career in technology. Upon leaving that career, he returned to his first love and penned Ruin Waters: Bane Book One of the Annals of the Last Emissary, followed by the second book in the series, The Earth, My War. His debut nonfiction, The War of Leadership: Hard Lessons and Practical Truths for Surviving In and Beyond Leadership, draws directly from his three decades in the corporate world. He currently lives in Tucson, Arizona, where he writes, speaks, and coaches on leadership. Find him at linktr.ee/jjasonhicks and on social media @jjasonhicks.

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