Part of a regular series on 27gen, entitled Wednesday Weekly Reader
During my elementary school years one of the things I looked forward to the most was the delivery of “My Weekly Reader,” a weekly educational magazine designed for children and containing news-based, current events.
It became a regular part of my love for reading, and helped develop my curiosity about the world around us.
Along with early and ongoing encouragement from my parents – especially my father – reading was established as a passion in my life that I was happy to continually learn from, share with my children, and watch them share with their children.
At this stage of my life, I’ve gone way beyond book nerd.
What started as a boyhood practice grew into an adult passion, and is now a deliberate, daily practice.
The turning point came when I entered seminary – a friend who was in his last year of a doctoral program told me I needed to learn how to read.
I thought that I had that one pretty much covered; after all, I had been reading since before first grade.
I was wrong; he was right.
That book recommendation, and for decades now my go-to book on helping someone deepen their love of reading used to be “How to Read a Book” by Mortimer Adler. It’s still a great book – but now I have a new recommendation:
Read to Lead, by Jeff Brown and Jesse Wisnewski.
With this book, Jesse and I have attempted to make the case that reading – specifically book reading – is the simplest and one of the most important habits you can develop, especially if your goal is to expand your audience and boost your career.
Jeff brown
It’s the common habit shared by many successful people throughout history. It’s responsible for unlocking limitless creativity and influence. It’s known to reduce stress, improve decision-making skills, and make you a better leader. What is it? Reading. And it’s the single best thing you can do to improve yourself professionally.
Reading more and better books creates opportunities for you to learn new skills, rise above your competition, and build a successful career. In Read to Lead you’ll learn
– Why you need to read like your career depends on it
– The five science-backed reasons reading will help you build your career
– How to absorb a book into your bloodstream
– A technique that can double (or triple!) your reading speed
– Tips on creating a lifetime reading habit
– And more!
If you want to lead a more satisfied life, have more intelligent conversations, and broaden your mind, you need to read to lead!
Reading the Table of Contents (itself one of the simplest but most overlooked starting place in reading a book) reveals the breadth and depth of advice and encouragement found in Read to Lead:
Introduction: Why Read a Book about Reading Books
Part 1 Why You Need to Read Books
- Why You Need to Read a Book Like Your Career Depends On It
- Eight Research-Backed Reasons Why Readers Do Better in Their Careers
- The Slow Death of Readers: Three Big Reasons Why People Are Reading Less
- The Eight Biggest Reading Excuses Holding You Back
Part 2 The Books You Need to Read
- Six Ways to Know What You Should (and Shouldn’t) Read
- Too Busy Not to Read: Nine Ways to Free Up More Time to Read
- How to Build Your Reading Plan
Part 3 The Smarter Way to Read Books
- How to Absorb a Book Into Your Bloodstream
- Double (or Triple) Your Reading Speed in Minutes
- How to “Read” a 220-Page Book in One Hour
- How to Create an Unchangeable Reading Habit
- The Key to (Nearly) Mastering Anything
- Fifteen Tips on How to Read Smarter
- Why You Should Join (or Start) a Book Club
Conclusion: Growing as a Reader and Leader
Pick any single chapter and you will increase your reading skill by the end of that chapter.
Read the book through, take its admonitions to heart, and you will change the trajectory of your life.
While the knowledge gained from reading is important, the real benefit is from the habit of reading. When you are continually reading, you condition your mind to keep taking in new knowledge. Your thinking remains fresh and sharp. Your brain is always churning on new ideas, looking for new connections it can make. Every day you pour in more ideas, which your brain must find a way to integrate into your existing knowledge base. Frequent reading fires up your neural activity, even during the periods when you aren’t reading.
Reading is a gift that you can unselfishly give yourself, one that truly keeps on giving. I can think of no better start to deepening your love of reading than with “Read to Lead.“
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