A Leader is a Reader
I am surprised by how many people I know who say, “I don’t read.” Sure, they access information on their phones or on their computers, but they don’t read books. I have even heard some of the Joshua’s Men candidates say they were going to have a hard time reading the eleven books that were assigned for the year. But if you were one of those who found yourself saying that, take heart! First, you did it; you read eleven books in one year. Second, 28% of Americans didn’t read one book in 2014.[1] Yet in 2013, there were 304,912 new books published in the United States.[2]Where is the disconnect? This month, we’ll look at the importance of reading. This week, here are three ways that reading helps you as a leader.
Reading exposes you to new ideas.
An old joke says that if you put ten Adventists in a room, you will get eleven different opinions. But are they informed opinions? The people I enjoy interacting with the most are individuals whom I know have read widely. When they express their opinions or share with me something that I’m not aware of, I can trust that they probably know what they are talking about. In other words, reading widely gives them credibility and informs their opinions. I have been acquainted with people who only read books by Adventist authors. If a book didn’t have the imprint of “Review & Herald” or “Pacific Press,” then they didn’t want any part of it. To me, that philosophy is disadvantageous; while you have to read with a critical eye, you can still learn from others no matter their denomination. Some books have challenged my ideas while other books have cemented them. There have even been books that have changed my perspective, and in turn, my life. Reading helps you grow as you are exposed to new ideas.
Reading allows you to develop expertise.
Whenever I had a question as a student in elementary school, one teacher would say, “Look it up.” While that response frustrated me at the time, looking back, I recognize that she was helping me understand that I could gain knowledge and ultimately gain expertise by reading. I think we are all old enough to realize that before Wikipedia, YouTube, or Google, you had to go to a book and “look it up.” Books were a part of our everyday education. But reading didn’t just give me little pieces of knowledge. Reading also introduced me to things and ideas that I really enjoyed learning about. For me, reading helped me recognize my love of history. Reading spurred me on to develop an expertise in history. Reading can help you develop the love and expertise in a certain subject. The beauty of living in the DFW Metroplex is that we have a plethora of libraries both public and academic where we can find books on any subject you can think of. If you want to own the book, Amazon is a great place to start. Find subjects and topics you enjoy and start reading to develop your expertise.
Reading helps you be a better leader.
Something I discovered very early as a leader was that, in order to be effective, I needed to be able to relate to the people I lead. In order for me to relate to them, I need to know a bit more about “their world:” what they like, what their hobbies are, etc. So I have chosen to read widely in order to be able to converse intellectually with them about those areas of interest. I read about things that are going on in the news, or if I know their hobby, interest, or job, I read a bit more about it so I can relate to them. In order to be an effective leader, you need to read and read widely.
For the rest of the month, we will be looking at what to read, how to read, and how to make time to read because leaders are readers.
[1]http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/10/19/slightly-fewer-americans-are-reading-print-books-new-survey-finds/
[2]http://www.bowker.com/news/2014/Traditional-Print-Book-Production-Dipped-Slightly-in-2013.html