Tag Archives: strategic reading plan
The Value of True Expertise — Knowing what’s wrong, knowing how to fix it
It’s been a bad week in the Mayeux household. Two nights ago, I drove my wife’s car. That evening, it would not start. I broke the battery! Then, I washed a load of clothes. The washing machine would not spin. I broke the washing machine! And then, I used my hair dryer. I broke the hair dryer (it just quit working!) Yes, I am jinxed — at least this week. Don’t let me anywhere near any piece of machinery you own!
Well, we bought a new battery. And we had another hair dryer. And, we called the Sears repair number, and a repair man came to fix our washing machine. It took him about…3 seonds to figure out the problem, and on top of the flat fee, it was only a little more money, for one replacement part, to get it working. I marveled at his instantaneous diagnosis. I asked him how long he had being doing this. He said about 24 years. He knew what to look for, he found it, and he know how to fix it. He provided a perfect example of a person with expertise.
Well, I don’t know any machine that well. But I got to thinking — I do know one thing almost that well, and what I don’t know, my blogging team members do know (especially Bob Morris, who has reviewed over 1900 books for Amazon.com, and other sites). Here’s what I know: if you name a business issue, I (and my colleagues) know a book — usually, the best book — to help you with that issue. And if you read our blog long enough, you will see plenty of titles that offer a great deal about the most pressing business issues that you are likely to face.
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By the way, you might want to check out this post:
Build Your Own Strategic Reading Plan — or, How Should You Pick Which Business Book(s) to Read?
A 7-step process for reading a business book
So many books, so little time. I assume that you are convinced that it a good thing to read business books. But, what next? Which books should I read? How should I choose the next title? And, what is the best process for reading a business book? Here’s a 7 step process that you might find valuable.
1. Ask – what is the next issue I need to work on?
Reading a business book flows from your agenda for improvement and development – life improvement, business skill development, business strategy development. You read in order to _____. (you fill in the blank, for you). Unlike reading for pleasure, it is part of your life and career work to read business books. So, you start with this question: what do I need to work on next? After you know the answer to that question, then you…
2. Choose the right book.
There are lots – no, really, lots – of books. There are plenty of good books. And there are some really bad books. You don’t have a minute to waste on reading a book that does not deliver what you need. So invest a few minutes up front: read a few reviews. (Start with Bob Morris’ review page at Amazon. Bob is part of our blogging team, and Seth Godin calls him “a critic that matters.” If he has not reviewed it favorably, unless it is brand new and he has not read it yet, there is a likelihood that the book is not worth reading). Ask someone that you respect which book they have read on the issue at hand. (remember your mission – stick to the issue at hand). And then — start.
3. Read the introductory and the concluding chapters carefully – and first.
The better writers give you much of the “argument,” the guts of the book, in the introduction. And the concluding chapter will frequently help you develop your own post-reading strategy – you know, the “what am I gong to do with this knowledge” strategy.
4. Unless you are on a Kindle or one of its competitors, read with pen in hand.
The book is yours – mark it up, especially when you find something that is truly useful. Your own notes in the margin can become guide your next steps…
5. Revisit the book about a week after you finish the book.
About a week after you finish reading, go back though very quickly – read the table of contents, read your margin notes… This brief refresher (you can do it in 5-10 minutes) will help remind you of what you intended to put into practice, and cement the thoughts in your mind.
6. Talk about the book – a lot.
If you will share what you learned with others, and talk about the best ideas from the book often – especially in the week or two after reading it – then the ideas will take hold in your own work and personal life. You might want to summarize what you learned in an e-mail to your distribution list. This will help others, and help you more.
7. Repeat the process – look for the next issue to tackle.
Don’t be in too big a hurry, but as you put the ideas of the book you just finished into practice, and you see the positive results, then it is time to ask: “what’s next?” Sadly/wonderfully, there is always a “what’s next?” This is what keeps us growing and successful.
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Here is a chart I posted in Build Your Own Strategic Reading Plan — or, How Should You Pick Which Business Book(s) to Read? a few months ago that might help get you started:
A Strategic Business Book Reading Plan
| If you need to: | Then you might want to read: |
| Aim higher – personally | The Other 90% |
| Think/work like an athlete in training | Outliers
Talent is Overrated |
| Think like an innovator | The Creative Habit
The Art of Innovation |
| Get better at time management | Getting Things Done
The Power of Full Engagement |
| Become a better servant leader | Servant Leadership |
| Nurture and build your people | Encouraging the Heart |
| Market more effectively | Waiting For Your Cat to Bark
The Tipping Point The Long Tail |
| Get better connected | Wikinomics
Groundswell |
| Network more effectively | Never Eat Alone |
| Communicate more effectively | Words that Work
Made to Stick |
| Be a (very good) generalist | Reality Check |
| Negotiate more effectively | Women Don’t Ask
Ask for It |
| Play well with others | The Five Dysfunctions of a Team |
| Learn to learn | The Opposable Mind |
| Learn to tell the truth | Crucial Conversations
Winning |
Build Your Own Strategic Reading Plan — or, How Should You Pick Which Business Book(s) to Read?
So, I’m sitting in front of my television set. “Nothing” is on, and I simply spend some time “surfing” in hopes of finding something that will grab my interest. I don’t do this often, but to unwind, I do it occasionally. I much prefer my “appointment” television — you know, when I want to watch television with a plan in mind, like — when I want to watch House, or a football game.
I wonder if my purposeless surfing has a parallel in our reading habits. How do you pick business books to read? Do you just grab the latest title you’ve heard of: if there is buzz about a specific book, do you say to yourself, “I want to be in on the know about that book?” I can understand that. If everyone seems to be talking about Outliers, or The Black Swan, or Good to Great, we all want to be in on the conversation. But I have a hunch that even then, the books we choose may not always be dealing with the issues we are dealing with at the moment. Or the skills we need to develop. Or the information gaps we need to fill.
Yes, it is true that reading almost any book will help us in our never-ending pursuit of excellence and success. “The more you know, the more you know.” But if our hours are precious, and already full of things to do, not only do we need to read to learn and grow — we need to read the best books, the right books for us, for us to learn and grow.
So, I have a suggestion — why not develop your own “strategic” business book reading plan. You can still read those popular books, but maybe you could always keep one book going that fits your needs, fills your gaps, deals with issues that you are actually dealing with. Just a few minutes a day, or one focused block of time during the week, will help you knock off that book that can genuinely help you with what you need the most.
So – how do you find which books will meet your needs? One way (forgive the self-serving comment here) is to read this blog. Bob Morris, and our entire blogging team, will help you filter out books that don’t fit the bill, and help identify the books that would be most useful. I warn you – reading Bob’s posts will make you wish you had time to read all of the books he refers us to. Few of us would have the time to do so. But use his posts as a filter, to help identify the books that would be most useful. Another way would be to attend the First Friday Book Synopsis (if you live near DFW). We present two synopses every month of best-selling business books. Our synopses can give you enough content to know the key themes and ideas of a book, help you filter out what does not fit your needs, and whet your appetite for a deeper dive into those books that you would find most valuable.
But to help you get started with your own strategic business book reading plan, I have started a chart. This is my first draft, and it includes, primarily, books that I have presented at the First Friday Book Synopsis. My colleague Karl Krayer would include different titles, and maybe all of us could help identify additional and different titles and business issues. So — here it is. I can say, with certainly, that each of these books was worth my time. Maybe this could help you start a strategic business reading regimen of your own.
A Strategic Business Book Reading Plan
|
If you need to: |
Then you might want to read: |
| Aim higher – personally | The Other 90% |
| Think/work like an athlete in training | Outliers
Talent is Overrated |
| Think like an innovator | The Creative Habit
The Art of Innovation |
| Get better at time management | Getting Things Done
The Power of Full Engagement |
| Become a better servant leader | Servant Leadership |
| Nurture and build your people | Encouraging the Heart |
| Market more effectively | Waiting For Your Cat to Bark
The Tipping Point The Long Tail |
| Get better connected | Wikinomics
Groundswell |
| Network more effectively | Never Eat Alone |
| Communicate more effectively | Words that Work
Made to Stick |
| Be a (very good) generalist | Reality Check |
| Negotiate more effectively | Women Don’t Ask
Ask for It |
| Play well with others | The Five Dysfunctions of a Team |
| Learn to learn | The Opposable Mind |
| Learn to tell the truth | Crucial Conversations
Winning |
You can try this list, or develop your own. You can start slow – with one book a month. In a year, you will have made great progress working through your strategic reading plan, and, more importantly, you will have learned more, you will know more, and I suspect you will be able to do more.
{To purchase my synopses of many of these titles, with handout + audio, go to our 15 Minute Business Book site}.
