A vice-president of a Fortune 500 company was getting to know a newcomer in his division, so he asked him what he liked to read. "I'm not really interested in reading," the man said. To which the vice-president said, "Then you aren't really interested in succeeding around here."
Morton Blackwell of the Leadership Institute said: "People who don't read cheat themselves." In a speech titled "Read to Lead" Blackwell continued: "By not reading, they limit what they can achieve, make mistakes they could avoid, and miss opportunities that could improve their lives. Finally, as the gaps in their knowledge become apparent, they must reconcile themselves to not being taken seriously." (emphasis mine)
Glad that's not the case with Orrin Woodward. As near as I can tell, Orrin devours 20-30 books a month and he's been doing that as long as I've known him. That's one of the reasons I decided to hire him years ago. (see my previous post) And that's one of the reasons all of his leaders read voraciously.
How's your reading going?
Or have you just decided to not be taken seriously?
