How much professional reading do you do each month?
Our reader poll today asks: How much professional reading do you do each month?
– A ton — more than 5 books per month: 3.82%
– A lot — 2-3 books per month: 13.25%
– Some — 1 book per month: 24.5%
– Little — a book every few months: 42.57%
– None — I don’t have time for it or interest in it: 15.86%
Reading is Fundamental. It’s a bit surprising and somewhat distressing that leaders are reading so little with almost 60% of you stating you do “little” to “none” in terms of professional reading. Time sounds like a convenient excuse but I’ll challenge that assertion. If you add up the time you spend watching TV, cat videos, and being on social media, I’m sure you can carve out a portion of it for reading.
If you want to continuously grow as a leader, you have to invest in expanding your knowledge base, perspectives, and skills. Reading a book is a great way to do so (and for some great suggestions on where to get started, check out these titles). Letting your knowledge base stagnate directly correlates with the stagnation of your skills. Go hit your local library or bookstore.
Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below!
– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC
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These results were originally a SmartPulse poll in SmartBrief on Leadership which tracks feedback from more than 200,000 business leaders. Get smarter on leadership and sign up for the SmartBrief on Leadership e-newsletter.
Hi Mike and fellow thoughtLEADERS followers:
Mike, I echo your comments about the importance of reading and will add the following:
~ Simply reading is NOT enough – if you are not ACTING on one or two of the ideas or insights you got from reading, you are missing out
~ For those of you who truly feel you have little time for reading, you might check out actionablebooks.com where avid readers like myself write 1200 word actionable summaries on a wide range of leadership and business books. You’ll get some great ideas to improve your personal/professional effectiveness and get a sense as to whether you’ll want to read the whole book for yourself.
~ Kevin Eikenberry’s Remarkable Leadership and Amiel Handelsman’s Practice Greatness are two other leadership books that support deliberate practice of leadership competencies that are worth checking out. Even if you only read the chapters that capture your interest, you’ll benefit big time.
Remember – ideas become more valuable when applied.