Leaders Read

In the ‘Leadership Wired’ newsletter of 11/24/08, Justin Pinkerman addresses the topic of reading and the influence it has on leaders.

The title of the piece is: Ideas - Vehicles from Present to Future

“Precious few leaders invest time to read books and extract ideas from them - to the detriment of the organizations they lead. Authors spend countless days fine-tuning their ideas into paragraphs and chapters before publishing them as a book. Yet, in a matter of a few hours, a leader can access and absorb those ideas. In turn, leaders can apply new found ideas in their strategy, systems, and organizational dynamics to positively alter the course of their business.

If you doubt the power of a written idea, consider this intellectual progression: Ralph Waldo Emerson's philosophical writings on self-reliance informed and inspired a young man named Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau's application of self-reliance to social injustice prompted him to pen an essay entitled "Resistance to Civil Government". Halfway around the world, Ghandi read Thoreau's essay, and it motivated him to organize India's peaceful protest of Britain's imperial rule. Decades later, Martin Luther King, Jr. would draw encouragement and strength from the writings of Ghandi as he coordinated non-violent resistance to the oppressive systems of racism in America.”

I have found that reading provides insight into living and leading. Your knowledge base expands as well as your ability to relate with and converse with many types of people. Do yourself a favor and read, or read more, and you will become a better leader.