Reading
I spoke with a friend of mine recently who chastised me for not listening to more podcasts. (It wasn't Mike - he's the kind one of the two of us, and just smiles at me and helps me get better without chastising me). In the course of the conversation, he casually mentioned that the OTHER thing he disagreed with me about was, "reading - I don't see the point. I'm done with school."
 Yes, we're still friends.
And, I was quite stunned. Reading, we believe, is a core skill that managers must engage in regularly as part of industry and competitive research and personal development, to say nothing of citizenship (local, national, or world).Â
If you don't want to hear it from us, here's something from Melinda Gates: "Bill and I read a lot."  They're pretty smart... and they're reading more than you and I. (Dang!)
You don't stop learning when you get old, you get old when you stop learning. And, for now, the best way to learn is to read.Â
With the pace of change and disruptive
With the pace of change and disruptive innovation going on today, looking beyond the horizon is vital to survival. To me, the most effective and efficient way to understand the changing landscape is to read.
At year-end, I reminded my managers
At year-end, I reminded my managers about the importance of reading. I compared reading to contibuting their 401(k). New managers might not immediately see the value of reading over a lifetime, much like they may not have seen the value of compounding interest when they first began their careers. Reading, I said, has the same compounding effect. Commit to begin reading today, I added. You may not finish your first book and say, "wow, I am now rich!", but begin the habit and years down the road the value will sneak up on you and you'll realize it, as will those you live and work with.
I'll stop reading when all the
I'll stop reading when all the information and entertainment in the world comes in pill form.
Until then, I'll be the guy with a book in every room and a pile of periodicals by the bedside. (The living room is for business, professional and non-fiction reading. The bathroom is for humor and light fare, and the bedroom is for fiction. Hey, I'm newly divorced, I live in a small place. I used to get to work in a second professional/business/non-fiction book in the office and more light fare in the downstairs bathroom too.)
To slightly paraphrase W. Edwards
To slightly paraphrase W. Edwards Deming:
Reading isn't mandatory, but then neither is survival.
I second this wholeheartedly. Nothing
I second this wholeheartedly. Nothing matches the information density, portability and interactivity of a good book. While some of this depends on learning style, I believe you'll always learn more from a book in a given period of time than through another medium.
Thanks for the encouragement to be
Thanks for the encouragement to be readers. I would love to see more of your recommendtions in "Our Favorites" area. Keep it up!
Leaders are
Leaders are Readers!