There is an old statement I believe every leader needs to remember: Leaders are readers.
If you want to keep growing as a leader, you have to keep learning. You cannot continue thinking the same thoughts, reading the same things, and exposing yourself to the same ideas and expect to keep growing. Sometimes we find ourselves in a rut. We feel like we are doing the same things over and over again. Our thinking becomes stale. Our creativity slows down. We are working, but we are not necessarily growing.
One of the simplest ways to get yourself out of that rut is to read.
Reading introduces you to thoughts you have never thought before. It allows you to learn from people you may never meet. It gives you access to somebody else's years of research, experience, mistakes, and discoveries. That is why reading should never be something we do only when we have extra time. If growth matters, reading has to become part of our system.
Make Reading a Habit
The first question I would ask you is simple:
Do you have a plan for your reading?
Most people do not accidentally become great readers. You have to make reading a habit. Look at your reading habits. Ask yourself what you should be reading and how many books you want to read this year. Then put some structure around it. You have to schedule time to read. Establish a time. Establish a goal. Develop a system for your reading. We schedule the things that matter to us. We schedule meetings. We schedule appointments. We schedule projects. Why wouldn't we schedule our personal growth? If reading is always something you are going to get around to someday, someday has a way of never showing up. Put it on the calendar.
Be Selective About What You Read
Not every book deserves your time. Your time is valuable, so be selective with your reading. Read within your field. Read outside your field. Read about topics that will help you grow in areas such as prayer, healing, prosperity, leadership, and the things God has called you to do. Read great men and women of God. Have books throughout your house. Keep good material around you. You do not have to read everything. You need to read the things that are going to help you become who God has called you to become. Growth requires intentionality.
Don't Just Read a Book. Respond to It.
Here is something else I have learned: Don't buy a book unless you are going to read it and respond to it. A book sitting on your shelf cannot change your thinking. When you read, mark it up. Keep a notepad close at hand. Write down the thoughts that speak to you. Capture ideas you can use later. Do not be afraid to interact with the book. The goal is not simply to finish another book. The goal is to learn something, apply something, and become better because you read it. There is a difference between reading information and receiving revelation that changes how you live and lead.
Learn From the Author
Before you buy a book, learn something about the author. Who are they? What have they accomplished? What is their background? Read the cover. Look at the table of contents. Read reviews. Think about what the book may be able to teach you. You are allowing that author to speak into your life for the hours you spend reading their work, so be intentional about whose thoughts you are receiving.
And remember this: authors have already done a lot of research for you.
A great author may spend years gathering information, studying a subject, learning lessons, and organizing those lessons into a book that you can read in a matter of hours. That is a pretty good investment.
Books Are Tools
I want you to begin looking at books differently. Books are tools for a leader. You would not expect a craftsman to do excellent work without the proper tools. In the same way, leaders need tools that help them think, communicate, solve problems, and grow. Build a library that will make a difference in your life. Ask other people you respect what books changed their lives. Look for bargains. Visit used bookstores. Find required reading lists from great schools. Discover what respected leaders are reading. You do not have to figure everything out by yourself. Let great authors from today and yesterday do some of the research for you.
Reading Is an Investment in Your Future
One of the greatest investments you can make is an investment in yourself. When you read, you are increasing your capacity. You are expanding the way you think. You are adding ideas to your leadership toolbox. You are exposing yourself to lessons that may save you years of unnecessary mistakes. The person who refuses to learn is eventually limited by what they already know. That is dangerous for a leader because your organization cannot consistently grow beyond your capacity to lead it. If you want your leadership to grow, your thinking has to grow. And if you want your thinking to grow, you need to continually expose yourself to something greater than what you already know.
Never Forget Your Number One Book
There are thousands of great books available to us, but there is one book that always has to remain first.
The Bible is our number one priority reading book.
Joshua 1:8 teaches us to keep God's Word before us, meditate on it, and do what it says. You can read leadership books. You can read business books. You can study great thinkers and learn from successful people. There is nothing wrong with any of that. But none of those books can replace the Word of God. The Bible gives us the foundation through which everything else should be evaluated.
Second Timothy 4:13 even gives us a picture of Paul's value for both books and spiritual writings. Learning matters. Study matters. Growth matters.
But God's Word remains first.
You Can Read Yourself Out of a Rut
Maybe you feel stuck right now. Maybe you need some fresh ideas. Maybe you have been approaching the same problem the same way for too long. Maybe your leadership needs another level of growth. Pick up a book. Find someone who knows something you do not know. Learn from their experience. Mark the book up. Take notes. Apply what you learn. Most importantly, stay in the Word of God. You do not have to stay where you are. You can grow your thinking. You can increase your capacity. You can develop new habits. You can become a better leader. Sometimes the next idea that changes your leadership is sitting on a bookshelf waiting for you to open it.
Leadership Challenge
Take a few minutes and evaluate your reading life:
What are my current reading habits? Am I consistently reading material that helps me grow?
Do I have a reading plan? Decide how many books you want to read during the next year.
When will I read? Put reading time into your schedule instead of waiting until you have spare time.
What area needs growth? Choose your next book based on an area where you need to increase your knowledge or leadership capacity.
What is my system? Keep a notebook nearby, mark important passages, and capture ideas you can apply.
Who can help me grow? Ask a leader you respect, “What book made a difference in your life?”
Is the Bible still first? Make sure God's Word remains your number one priority reading book.
Remember, legendary leaders never stop learning.
Leaders are readers. Keep reading. Keep learning. Keep growing.