Here are seven reasons leaders need to be readers.
1. New Ideas – You are charged with leading and that, many times, requires new approaches. New ideas help you create, lead people, deal with difficulties and make decisions.
2. Inspiration – Reading from others lives inspires us to go on to new heights and to move forward. Reading can also be the catalyst to a new way of living.
3. Motivation – If you’ve been stuck, reading can help get you out of the rut.
4. Understanding – Wondering how to go about doing something? There’s a book for it. How to deal with money, how to deal with people, how to make things work, how to [fill in the blank]. The Bible also brings about great understanding.
5. New Perspectives – When you read about other people’s lives or other how to / leadership books, you gain new perspectives. You get a glimpse of life in a way you may have never thought about before.
6. Growth – As you read, you grow. You learn. You expand your knowledge. The more you share it, the more you’re encouraged to keep reading.
7. Wisdom – They say that knowledge from learning, but wisdom comes from years of life. If you want to grow to be wise, you experience things in life. And when you add to that reading all the things that one can’t or won’t experience, wisdom come quickly.
What do I read? I read from the Bible every morning. And I typically have two or three other books going. I was challenged this year to read at least a book a week, and so far, I have! Here are the current titles I’m reading: Elevating Excellence (Curtis Wallace); You Branding (Mark Cijo); The Power of Habit (Charles Duhigg); Rapid Reading (Peter Kump) and The Four Hour Work Week (Tim Ferris).
When do I find time to read? I read the Bible on my phone each morning. I use plans from the You Version App to keep things on track. I also listen to audio books (or other short podcasts) while I’m exercising or mowing the lawn. I typically will read a little from a book in the morning and more in the evening. If I am going to be waiting somewhere for something – oil changes, daughter’s dance classes or lessons – I will read some from the two books I have one my phone. I also read some blogs and book summaries when I run across them.
OTHER POSTS…
A good time to read devotionals
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