The Mentor | #46 | Reading

Each month, I share 3 things I've read on skills, careers, and personal development.

“I can survive well enough on my own – if given the proper reading material.” ― Sarah J. Maas

Someone came up to me recently and asked me to give them career advice. It is very hard to do this for someone that you don’t know, because every situation is unique and each persons ambition is different. That said, I wanted to respond.

Thinking quickly, I realized that there is only one answer to this question: out-read your peer group and you will do better than most. Podcasts are great, meetings with your mentors are great, and YouTube videos are often incredible. But, there is no substitute for deep reading.

Reading uniquely enables you to digest and reflect on a topic, in a way that no other medium can. In fact, if you take notes as you go, you will often recount what you learned days, weeks, months, and even years later. This makes it easier to apply what you have learned. And applied learning is something that becomes ingrained.

Last month I talked about leading. You may have heard the phrase, ‘Leaders are readers’, which I’ve found to be true. In that spirit, here are the books that I’ve found most valuable, in the context of the leadership framework I shared last month:

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1

One of the benefits of reading is that it allows you to master the best of what other people have already figured out.

Retaining What You Read

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2

Reading reinforces focus. It’s impossible to do anything else while reading, which is why it may be more important now than ever. It’s a way to restore our attention span.

Focus

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3

Reading is preparation. Preparation leads to confidence. Confidence comes from evidence, and confidence allows you to own your seat.

Own Your Seat