Things I Heard My Professor Say

This book has one of the most interesting origin stories. On the first day of Dr. Curtis L. Odom’s capstone business class at Northeastern one fall semester, Dr. Odom told his students that anything he said twice they should write down. Eli Boulous, a Senior student in the class, heard this message and then proceeded to take copious notes of everything important Dr. Odom said. He meticulously organized these notes into quotations and by theme, and then gifted these notes to Dr. Odom at the end of the semester, with the title “Odom’s Playbook.” Dr. Odom was so honored and humbled by the impact his words had on Eli and thought it was one of the best gifts he had ever received. Two years later, Dr. Odom reached out to Eli on LinkedIn asking if he wanted to adapt the playbook into a book, leading to it being published with them both as co-authors in 2021.

We had a conversation with Dr. Odom and Eli earlier today and while I loved the book before talking with them, I am even more excited about it now. Dr. Odom is a fountain of wisdom and they are both incredible speakers and storytellers. This book is proof that small books can make a big impact and for its price, it’s definitely worth picking up a copy and several more for your friends. This quote below from the book is one that I’ve been thinking about all day. While many of us have grown up to think that “selfish” is a bad word, it is time for us to redefine it for our own benefit and make sure that we are spending our time in ways that align with our goals and values.