Just Read It!

When I need a little boost, I look to a journal I keep in Evernote.  In that journal I keep a list of success quotes that I come across from time to time.  One of those that keeps coming back to me from our own Rita Keller is very simple……”Read!”

The application of the statement sounds easy, we have to do it a majority of our time in the office.  Have to are the key words there….when it is “have to”, it might not be all the subjects we “want to” read.  If you are passionate about the role you are in, these have to and want to’s will go hand in hand.  Now, you just need the “time to.”

For me, it is part of the reason I like to get into the office early, before 6:00 a.m.  There are only a couple others in the office at that time and for me it is quality time - time to invest in the future and keep up to speed on the industry.  Our CEO crafted a nickname for me (circa 1991) – BASF – which is the company that “doesn’t make the products you buy, we make the products you buy better.”  I take that statement to heart when finding better ways to do things for our firm.  What better way to do that than to find out what is cutting edge in our industry?  Not even cutting edge, just simply what is and what is not working in firms these days.  The Internet has made it so much more efficient to have the content you want and allow for filtering of the stuff you don’t – whether through browsing the web or setting up alerts to deliver the content to your mailbox.  The Internet has also made it easy to research others and find the people you need to help you in your quest.  Many of the projects I’ve completed began with this research – which also led to connections made with peer firms to learn how they solved similar issues at their firms. 

In my role in training and education, reading is a key component.  I’ve taken part in a wide range of leadership development training sessions.  While there are many commonalities amongst the curriculums, my belief is that the most important is to read.  Reading takes individual effort and is often assigned “outside of class” – since we know it is not high school any more and there won’t be a test, some feel they can get away with not doing it or taking the short cut via Cliff’s Notes or Wikipedia.  However, you’ll be exposed when you can’t articulate a subject because you just haven’t read about it!  Regarding individual effort, it makes me think of a recent survey I took.  One of the questions was “Who is responsible for my engagement at work?”  It had a sliding scale of 1-10 with Employer on one end and Me on the other.  Right away, I knew the answer (in my mind) was certainly on me.  It’s my job to be engaged at work.  Part of this is certainly ingrained in me and my Gen X colleagues - as that is a common trait – the ownership is on none other than me.  Nanny’s are for little kids that can’t take care of themselves, not for professionals like you and me.

Get engaged and just read it.