A man was once fired from his job. In the meeting where he was let go he said, “How can you fire me after I have worked twenty-six years for this company?” The answer his boss gave was, “No, you’ve only worked here one year, then repeated that twenty-five times.”

While this story may seem extreme, it highlights how easy it is for us simply to take what we already know and keep doing the same thing over and over again. 

The first third of the book The Complete Leader, co-authored by Ron Price, is devoted to helping leaders be clear thinkers. While there are many aspects to keeping our thinking sharp, there is one in particular I want to highlight in our blog for today: Continuous Learning Through Reading.

Ron Price, who is not only the co-author of the Complete Leader but also the brother to Rodger Price, has a habit I want to explore with you. Part one of the book he wrote with Randy Lisk explores what it takes for leaders to be clear thinkers. Section 1.5 is called “Continuous Learning,” and on page 75 of that section we read:

“Ron schedules thirty minutes a day, every day, for reading.”

Read that again, a little slower: “Ron schedules thirty minutes a day, every day, for reading.” 

Now focus on a few key words:
“Ron schedules
thirty minutes
a day,
every day,
for reading.”

That’s a really big commitment for a very busy leader. And yet it is this very commitment that keeps Ron (and each one of us) from working one year and then repeating what we know and have done year after year.

Here are seven things to consider in order to make progress in continuous learning through reading. Some of these suggestions are directed at your Rider and some at your Elephant (ala the book Switch).

1. Ask around. Consider simply asking colleagues what they are reading or what has been the best thing they’ve read in the last few years. If you still have your bios from your LEAD 365 cohort, take a look at the other participants’ lists of favorite books. I ask every coach I work with what they are reading on coaching that is worthwhile and make sure I keep an updated reading list. 

2. Join the library (if you are not already a member). This saves you the expense of buying books and gives you access to almost any book you want to read. If you join the library, I often encourage people to see if you are eligible to join the Lakeland Library Cooperative. This gives you access to over fifty libraries where you can reserve books, have books sent to your local library, renew books online, be reminded when books are due, and search books by topics or author—FOR FREE.

3. Enhance your personal relationships. What are your spouse and children passionate about? Become a student of their passions by reading a book about it. Becoming a student of those we care about is an incredible gift. One of the greatest gifts my wife gave to me was to read a book about introverts in order to understand me better. 

4. Listen up. What to do if you are not a reader? Be a listener! Once again, your local library has many of the best books available…on CD or downloadable audiobooks through apps like Overdrive. Do not let a lack of interest in reading keep you from the continuous learning that is out there. Of course you all always welcome to purchase or download what you want!

5. Schedule it. You don’t have to be identical to Ron Price and plan thirty minutes a day for reading, but it is important to have a plan for how and when you will read. What will you say no to? Thirty minutes of television? Listening to the radio on your commute (so you can listen to an audiobook or podcast instead)? 

6. Team up. One of greatest ways to ensure this kind of continuous learning is to commit to it with someone else. Start a book club at work. Each month you can commit to reading a certain book with colleagues, even if it’s just two of you. Then you can have lunch or get together after work to discuss what you thought of the book and what you learned. You will read with far greater focus if you know you will be  talking about it intelligently later.

7. Escape. Even if you do no professional reading at all, consider reading a good novel or fiction. You will unlock the creative side of your brain, gain perspective on the realities that you tend to obsess over, and discover a really healthy way to escape that is far better than most of the alternatives. 

Take a moment right now and post on this blog what your reading habits are AND please recommend what you believe would be a great read for your fellow alumni.

Jeff

Image by mind on fire. Used under CC BY-SA 2.0 license.