By Bill Mason, Rocket Fuel Coach
In the dynamic world of leadership, where continuous growth and development are essential, there is one undeniable truth: leaders are readers. Even if you despise reading, the act of consuming books on a regular basis can be a game changer in your leadership abilities. Discover six ways in which reading can significantly enhance your leadership skills. Learn how incorporating this simple daily habit can transform your leadership journey.
Condensed Knowledge:
One effective way to better understand authors’ life message, experiences, insights, and wisdom is by reading their books. Their published works contain a wealth of knowledge that can be used to improve your leadership abilities and advance your career. By delving into their writing, you can absorb their expertise and apply it to your journey as a leader..
Accelerated Leadership Growth:
Regularly reading books can accelerate your growth as a leader by providing new insights, lessons and strategies to apply to your leadership style. Exposure to diverse ideas and experiences continually improves your personal and professional development, allowing you to address challenges better and motivate your team.
Broadening Perspectives:
By reading, you can expand your outlook and learn new viewpoints, even if you already have your own preferences and biases. Exploring diverse perspectives to gain new insights and better understand the world is beneficial. This worldview expansion can aid in navigating complexities, making informed decisions and connecting with a broader range of people.
Leading with Empathy:
To become a better leader, it’s critical to prioritize goal accomplishment and build relationships through empathy and understanding. Reading can aid in developing emotional intelligence, empathy and understanding of human actions. By analyzing the challenges and accomplishments of various characters in literature, you can learn and apply those experiences to how you interact with your team and stakeholders.
Igniting Creativity:
Reading books can increase your ingenuity and imagination as the stories, ideas, and concepts they contain can inspire innovative thinking and problem-solving skills. By being more creative, you can approach challenges with new perspectives, develop novel strategies, and encourage transformation within your team.
The Reluctant Reader’s Journey:
If you have a busy schedule or don’t enjoy reading, consider listening to audiobooks on Audible instead. I prefer audiobooks and have listened to them for five years. I began listening to audiobooks at twice the regular speed to get more bang for my buck. It took some time, but I gradually increased the playback speed to help my brain adjust. As a result, I can now complete an eight-hour book in just four hours. I listen to audiobooks while driving, working out, or doing yard work. Investing in personal growth is essential because time is a precious resource. When something is valuable to you, you’ll always find a way to incorporate it into your life.
Starting today, set a goal to read a few pages or listen to 20 minutes of a book daily. A recommended book to begin with is “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie.
Remember, leaders are readers, so start today!
