by Kelsey Meyer, Forbes.com
If you take
only one glance at our professional branding company’s leadership team,
you may be surprised by our youthfulness. Our team is young (and looks even
younger), but I am confident that the youthfulness of our team is helping our
growth. That’s not because I agree with anything stated by Cathryn Sloane in her
article that declared that all social media managers should be under the
age of 25 – it’s because I believe that our employees’ youthfulness drives
their intellectual curiosity. They want to learn, and the most common way they
search for new knowledge is by reading articles and books by successful
business owners, marketers, and entrepreneurs.
This doesn’t
need to apply only to young businesspeople, though. It can be even more important
for seasoned employees; leaders must be readers. Reading and learning from
peers within, and outside of, your industry enables you to grow as an employee,
business owner, and leader in three distinct ways.
Reading Reminds
You
I make it a
habit to re-read specific books every year because I need constant reminders of
the good things they’ve taught me. After my third reading of Gary Vaynerchuk’s
The Thank You Economy, I was inspired to work with our team to handwrite every
one of our clients a thank-you note. Whether you re-read the same book or
article to remind you of concepts, or read content on time management and
organization as a constant reminder to work on these things, reading is
valuable because it keeps important concepts top of mind.
Reading
Challenges You
A female
co-worker of mine, whom I respect immensely, recently gave me a book and said,
“I disagree with about 80% of this, but you should definitely read it.” I loved
that she was sharing a book that challenged her opinions, yet felt it was
worthwhile reading for the 20% that was valuable. Reading something you
disagree with can have a big impact on your ability to think, both creatively
and logically.
Reading Gives
You Opportunities to Interact with Others
I have
referenced articles and books I’ve read in countless conversations, not to
sound intelligent or cool (some of what I read would accomplish the opposite),
but to relate to those with whom I’m speaking. Here are a few ways you should
be making the most of what you’re reading:
Take notes and
share them with your team.- An
investor in our company sends me, on average, five articles a day and I
always put them in a file that says “To Read.” When I have 10 minutes at
the end of the day, I read an article or two, knowing that I can discuss
these pieces with him later. It’s a great way for us to share ideas and
inspire action in each other.
- I also
like using article topics to spark debate amongst our team members about
how we should address a subject. I’ve heard of companies creating book
clubs, where employees discuss topics in books that relate to their
industry during lunch once a month. Sparking debate and sharing ideas is a
wonderful way to use written content as a team-bonding tool.
- You can
use an article/book/speech from a respected person in your field to back
up a decision you want to make. I’m not saying you should make decisions
based solely on what you read, but it does give you more leverage when you
say, “I read in So-and-So’s book that he had success with X, and I thought
that we could implement this idea in our company by doing Y.” It’s a
little more likely to stick than saying, “Who knows if this has ever
worked for anyone in the past? But heck, let’s be the first to see if it
can work!”
If you’re one
of those people who claim you don’t have time to read, then first, I question
why you’re reading my measly little article. Second, I encourage you to make
time. Time never “appears” for anything; you have to make it. If nothing
else, learn how to multitask. Listen to content while driving or walking to
work (I suggest “This American Life” and “Intelligence Squared” on NPR – I’m
obsessed with both). If you don’t have time to read an entire book, read short
articles online. If you’re dying to read a book but honestly can’t find the
time, then pair up with a friend and take turns reading and sharing the ideas
through short descriptions, or find excerpts of the book online.
If you are a
leader, you should be striving to develop knowledge to improve yourself, your
company, and the people who work for you. To do anything less is to shortchange
your ability to lead.
Kelsey
Meyer is the Vice President of Digital Talent Agents, an online PR firm
dedicated to helping entrepreneurs, universities, and corporate leaders
establish themselves as thought leaders in their industries. Kelsey has been
involved with four successful startups and is actively involved in the
entrepreneurship community in Missouri.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/85broads/2012/08/03/why-leaders-must-be-readers/
I have posted a list of books that I have read recently on a post titled 'Books' a few days ago.
No comments:
Post a Comment