Leaders are Readers

I recently sat with some different teams and asked, “Have any of you read…”  The book I asked about was a business-related parable that came out a few years ago highlighting the need for change, the different types of people confronting the issue of the day and how they react.  The general response I received was blank stares.  Someone stated that it was previously recommended to them, they had the book, but never opened it. 

Years ago, I attended a conference where I had the opportunity to listen to different highly successful speakers.  The topics that they talked about and most of the names have since faded from my memory.  The thing that stayed with me was the one overriding connection that each of the speakers were avid readers; they were proud of the fact, talked about the resourcefulness of education it provided them and the source of mentorship. 

I went from being a non-reader, to someone who read regularly.  I generally read on a Kindle, and have downloaded books from 2011 through the end of 2017, on the average 32 books a year.  This is from someone who did everything to avoid reading.  Reading has helped me learn new things from experts in their fields, provided me insights into certain areas and helped to hone a positive mindset.  When I refer to a book or make a recommendation, those books have had a positive impact on me.

Most have read the classic books on personal development – “The Power of Positive Thinking” by Norman Vincent Peale, “As A Man Thinketh” by James Allen, and “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill, etc.

What books have you read that have inspired you?  What are you currently reading?  What book would you recommend?

The list of books that I have read so far in 2018:

• “Leadership Lessons” by Will Peters
• “The Magic of Thinking Big” by David J Schwatz
• “What is Mindfulness (#whatis)" by Tamara Russell
• “The Go-Giver” by Bob Burg and John David Mann
• “Who Moved My Cheese?” by Spencer Johnson
• “The Cheapskate Next Door” by Jeff Yeager
• “The Complete Sherlock Holmes” by Arthur Conan Doyle
• “Words That Hurt, Words That Heal” by Joseph Telushkin
• “Talent is Never Enough” By John C Maxwell
• “Great Teams” by Don Yaeger
• “The Year of Living Biblically” by A. J. Jacobs
• “The Magic of Believing” by Vic Johnson
• “Dracula” by Bram Stoker
• “The Strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson