"Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers." -Harry Truman
There are two inputs that determine your personal growth. Input #1 is present circumstance and input #2 is reading.
My first commander got me into reading. I was a freshly minted Second Lieutenant at my first base in England, and I was so new I couldn't find my butt with both hands. He called me into his office, an intimidating thing at the time, and tossed me a thick book on leadership. Inside he wrote "Welcome to the team and your 'continuing' education. I look forward to watching you come into your own over the next year." Thanks to his mentorship I have been a serious reader ever since that meeting. Here's how you can get serious about reading:
- Start with topics you are interested in learning about. For me topics are military or finance related (in fact I don't stray far from those two...). Whatever you pick it would be useful to do at least some reading related to your industry. Leadership reading is a great place to start if you can't think of anything else. John Maxwell's The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You
is a quick read to get you in the grove. Marriage and family are also good starting topics.
- Reading ground rule: fiction books don't count. Most fiction is written for entertainment, not growth. As cool as Harry Potter novels are, they won't help you do your job better or be a better parent (unless you are reading them as bed time stories I guess...) or a better spouse. Non-fiction is the category of choice for serious growth.
- So you have your topic, how do you narrow it down to a specfic book? You can start by asking a friend or a mentor if they recommend any books or authors. If you stay in a topic long enough your favorite authors will reference other authors and that helps regenerate your reading lists. The point is to start reading something worthwhile as soon as possible.
- Don't get bogged down. If you pick something up and you just don't like it, toss it aside and try something else. There is no law against unfinished reading. Sometimes you get everything you need from a book in the first few chapters, and it's not worth reading the rest. The goal of a good reading program is to continually consume worthwhile content.
- Don't neglect biographies and autobiographies. I try to read one or two per year. Bios are good for getting perspectives on current events and brushing up on your history. A biography should remind you that "there is nothing new under the sun."
- How much should you read? The general consensus seems to be one non-fiction book a month. That's 10 or 12 more books in a year than your peers are reading. For the truly committed, cut out an hour of TV per day and you can cover much more reading ground.
- Useful reading gear for your electronic warfare suite: electronic reading devices. I do all my reading on an "old" Kindle. Yes, the books are more expensive on Amazon than if you had the hard copy delivered. But I find I am able to "consume" many more books on the Kindle than if I had them mailed. The Kindle keeps my wish list organized so if I get bored with a book I just download another one. And I can "carry" as many books as I want vs trying to cram a bunch hardbacks into my backpack everywhere I go. Thankfully, my wife graciously allows me to spend lavishly on books, so tread carefully if your spouse is not so generous!
How do you decide what to read? If you need any suggestions leave a note.
There are two inputs that determine your personal growth. Input #1 is present circumstance and input #2 is reading.
My first commander got me into reading. I was a freshly minted Second Lieutenant at my first base in England, and I was so new I couldn't find my butt with both hands. He called me into his office, an intimidating thing at the time, and tossed me a thick book on leadership. Inside he wrote "Welcome to the team and your 'continuing' education. I look forward to watching you come into your own over the next year." Thanks to his mentorship I have been a serious reader ever since that meeting. Here's how you can get serious about reading:
- Start with topics you are interested in learning about. For me topics are military or finance related (in fact I don't stray far from those two...). Whatever you pick it would be useful to do at least some reading related to your industry. Leadership reading is a great place to start if you can't think of anything else. John Maxwell's The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You
is a quick read to get you in the grove. Marriage and family are also good starting topics.
- Reading ground rule: fiction books don't count. Most fiction is written for entertainment, not growth. As cool as Harry Potter novels are, they won't help you do your job better or be a better parent (unless you are reading them as bed time stories I guess...) or a better spouse. Non-fiction is the category of choice for serious growth.
- So you have your topic, how do you narrow it down to a specfic book? You can start by asking a friend or a mentor if they recommend any books or authors. If you stay in a topic long enough your favorite authors will reference other authors and that helps regenerate your reading lists. The point is to start reading something worthwhile as soon as possible.
- Don't get bogged down. If you pick something up and you just don't like it, toss it aside and try something else. There is no law against unfinished reading. Sometimes you get everything you need from a book in the first few chapters, and it's not worth reading the rest. The goal of a good reading program is to continually consume worthwhile content.
- Don't neglect biographies and autobiographies. I try to read one or two per year. Bios are good for getting perspectives on current events and brushing up on your history. A biography should remind you that "there is nothing new under the sun."
- How much should you read? The general consensus seems to be one non-fiction book a month. That's 10 or 12 more books in a year than your peers are reading. For the truly committed, cut out an hour of TV per day and you can cover much more reading ground.
- Useful reading gear for your electronic warfare suite: electronic reading devices. I do all my reading on an "old" Kindle. Yes, the books are more expensive on Amazon than if you had the hard copy delivered. But I find I am able to "consume" many more books on the Kindle than if I had them mailed. The Kindle keeps my wish list organized so if I get bored with a book I just download another one. And I can "carry" as many books as I want vs trying to cram a bunch hardbacks into my backpack everywhere I go. Thankfully, my wife graciously allows me to spend lavishly on books, so tread carefully if your spouse is not so generous!
How do you decide what to read? If you need any suggestions leave a note.
I'm still chewing on personal growth number 1 posting. Thanks for the input. I'll see what the spouse says about lavishly spending on e-books. I'm still in 'rest' mode from all the spending on school books for the Master's.
ReplyDeleteGood ground rules, Philip. Since I rarely read fiction, it was easy for me to nod in agreement with #1. I should read some biographies or autobios. Any suggestions? Looks like your mom will add e-books to her Christmas wish list, now that you gave her permission.
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