Leaders are readers

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

One of my fondest memories growing up was going to our county library.  I grew up on dairy farms that did not provide a lot of extra money for things like books, but every summer my mother would sign up for a summer reading program at our local library.  I was usually at or near the top of the list for the most books read that summer by people my age.  We would go to town on Saturdays to shop and nearly every Saturday that involved going to the library so I could return the books I had read the previous week and pick up new ones.  That early love for reading has served me well ever since.  Most years I will average reading one book a week, and nearly all of them will be related to ministry, business, or leadership.  I seldom read more than one or two fiction books a year, but I will read an occasional biography or history book.

I recently read a stat that claimed that 42 percent of Americans never read another book after college.  I don't know if that is accurate or not, but studies do show that a large percentage of us read very few books, if any, during a year.  According to some studies 25 percent read no books last year and another 25 percent read between 1-3 books.  People age 63 and up reported reading at least 10 books last year while younger people admitted to reading the fewest number.

This makes no sense to me.  Knowledge is increasing at a rate that no one can really keep up with, but if one isn't reading new material on a regular basis they are falling even further behind regardless of their field.  Leaders are readers, and if they don't read they won't remain a leader for long.

I'm well aware of the excuses people give for not reading, but that is all they are... excuses.  The most common one is the lack of time.  We get done what we spend time doing.  If you want to succeed in whatever business you are in you must keep up with the most current information in that field.  If your competition isn't doing that then you are you have just achieved a major competitive advantage, but if you are the one who isn't reading and your competitor is, he or she will eat you lunch and one day own your business.

Electronic devices such as NOOKs can make it easier and cheaper for you to keep up with your reading.  You can save a few dollars over a NOOK book than if you bought it at the local bookstore, and it's easier to travel with an e-reader than to lug around several books.  Right now about 2/3 of the books I read are on my NOOK.  If even those books are too expensive right now, there is the public library.  With most libraries offering lending services you now have access to just about any book you could ever want to read at zero cost to you.

Even if you get your books from the library there is still the opportunity cost for reading.  Yes, you could be doing something else during the time you are reading, but I am convinced that reading good books will help you work smarter and make your efforts more efficient.  Reading is an investment in yourself, your leadership, and your business.  At the very least you should be committed to reading one good book a month.  Even at that rate, you will be far above the average American which will greatly improve the chances of success for your business.