Written by Shamini Sivathasan:
“The MORE you read, the MORE things you will know. The MORE that you LEARN, the MORE places you’ll go."
How true are Dr. Seuss’ words, even today? With the days of gadgets, internet, and social media slowly consuming us, who sets aside time to read or learn something new to enrich our lives and careers? In an age where information is readily available to us, we tend to forget about the importance of reading a good book. If you want to stand out as a leader or enhance your career, make a commitment to reading at least a book a month.
WHAT LEADERS LIKE MARK ZUCKERBERG DO
In 2015, Mark Zuckerberg pledged to read a book every two weeks. Renowned investor Warren Buffett calls his reading habit one of the keys to his success. Bill Gates reads about a book a week. You don’t need be that ambitious if you are just starting off – just make a pledge to read a certain number of books this year.
Here’s a place to get you started. The Tamil Women Rising “Big Ideas Book Club” is currently reading our second book - Daniel H. Pink’s "WHEN: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing". Pink is the author of five bestselling books about work and behaviour.
What is a Big Ideas Book Club anyway? Good question! It’s mostly a digital book club, where we read books focused on enhancing our professional and personal life skills. Books are picked by our curator and you can read it individually or connect with other members in our group and read it together.
Periodically, we will host a physical book club where we discuss the book, work, life, and just about anything that’s on our minds. It helps to read these books and discuss them with others. It’s like starting a workout routine, you tend to stick to it if you have a friend or a group of people who hit the gym with you.
THREE TIPS FOR DEVELOPING A READING HABIT
Here are some great resources to kick off a reading habit:
1. Sit in on our next book club and social on September 9th at 10:30am, whether you’ve read the book or not. Find more details on our Facebook event page and join our community.
2. The 50 book pledge is a commitment to read 50 books in a year, but you can set your target to any number of books you are comfortable with. Start with our second book club book, “When” by Daniel. H. Pink.
3. Check out Good Reads, Oprah’s Book Club, and Gates Notes as starting points for book recommendations.
STILL HAVE DOUBTS?
If you are still on the fence, here’s some more ammunition from the website Monster.ca. It lists the ways reading non-fiction aids in career development:
- Reading makes you smarter – the more you read, the more insight you have.
- Expands your vocabulary – aids in being articulate and well-spoken in any profession.
- Improves your writing skills – goes hand-in-hand with being exposed to new words.
- Reduces stress levels – an engaging article will distract you and keep you in the present moment.
- Enhances analytical skills - critical thinking skills to assist problem solving in the workplace.
It's not too late to get into the habit in 2018, just pick up Daniel Pink's "When" at your nearest bookstore and join us on September 9th.
