CEO Swagger

I heard a quote once (of course I did :)) that goes, “Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers!”  That has stuck with me since I heard it more than 8 years ago and has motivated to me to read and collect a library of hundreds of books.  Reading IS important and is sadly overlooked for the power it has.  I think there are 3 major benefits that reading offers us:

1. Reading helps you become a better communicator.  What if you were the smartest person in the world or had the coolest, world-changing idea about something and you couldn’t explain it?  You’d build it yourself right?  Sure . . . but my bet is that anything you can do alone won’t be world-changing.  Big ideas take big people.  People being plural and people who need to understand your vision before they can add value.  Reading exposes you to new vocabulary and new descriptors for common things in life.  Reading adds more color to your conversation.  Reading gives you more to talk about.

2. Reading helps you stand out.  Statistics say that 85% of Americans never read a book from cover to cover beyond their formal education.  85%!  Armed with that info and my simple rational I concluded that I could be in the top 15% of any group just be reading consistently.  Now you may say that this is no more than silly semantics, but what if it wasn’t?  What if you could talk at length with more people about more things as a result of a little reading?  What if you became a quicker and sharper thinker as a result of the mental exercise of reading?  Would people look to you more often for your answers and ideas?  I have seen it happen in my own life (and the answer is yes!).

3. Reading gives you great ideas.  The famous radio author and human development speaker Earl Nightingale says that, “Whenever you see boredom,what you are really seeing is the absence of a good idea.”  I recommend you remember that.  Consider how many people you may have seen in the last few days of your own life who seem to be uninspired, low-energy and seem like something is missing from their life.  What’s missing is a good idea!  Something that stirs their imagination and makes them want to learn or create more around it.  That’s the real reason that most of us want to travel.  That’s the same reason why school is suppose to be important.  They are launching pads for new ideas.  Unfortunately, many of us never realize that we can travel pretty far and learn an awful lot - just by reading a book.

Category : Reflection