In recent years, I noticed something strange in the market and what surprised me most is how people react to it. These are mainly people who, for one reason or another, use the argument that leaders read an average of x books per week and that is what allowed them to be what they are.

The argument itself may be right, but what they fail to mention is much more valuable than the claim itself. Yes, leaders may read a lot or even a lot of books, but how do they do it? That is the question.

I remember the first time I met the claim in question. This upset me, because at the base, I was not an avid reader. Just sitting down to read a fiction book was a battle with my emotional state, let alone reading one that is non-fiction. Maybe you felt this void to be in front of something without knowing why. As you guessed, I barely finished a paragraph from this book that I just gotten the day before. As always, this statement that “I’m not made to read” started to take place, moving me away further and further away from this book that could have improved my life at this time.

A few years later, I met someone who was successful in the field he wanted. This person told me that the ingredient of his success was to read a book a day.

” A book ? No it’s a joke ! I can’t even finish 2 paragraphs.” I retorted.

It was after this meeting that my curiosity to find out what is behind this performance has grown. So I decided to read at least 2 pages during the day. But after a while, I still couldn’t do it. There’s always that little stupid excuse that comes to take over.

So I decided to change my strategy. It was then that I discovered the following 4 points, on how to learn as a leader.

1- When they learn, they know why

At first, I had no real purpose in reading a book or through training. My only desire was to know what the author stated, hoping to discover a magical secret. But what good is it to know something, if you don’t know what it will serve you after?

In life, precisely in the world of business or personal achievement, you need constant improvement so as not to lose your balance. Hence the need to know something that you ignore and that will help you improve what you want to improve.

Then I dug my situation and I found myself with a goal by reading it. But, again, I am faced with a book that I chose to specify before the goal I want to achieve. Big blunder to avoid. So you will have to choose the book once you know what you want to improve in your life. This choice is made after a complete analysis of the title, summary and summary of the book. Not necessarily what people say about the book, although it might help you often. Your selection criteria depends on you and what you are looking for. It can come from your tastes as well as from the impression you have on how to make the author and his story.

As for your goal, it might be for example to find out what the author did when he came face to this problem, or the process followed to launch this product.

A good leader is always looking for key elements to improve his family, personal and financial performance.

2- They do not read the entire book

When I finally started reading the book, I read one page, then another, and yet another. Here I am at 3 pages out of 200. I don’t hide the fact that it demotivates after 3 days of reading. Although the author’s comments seem relevant, I’m impatient to find out what I’m looking for. This is where I discovered this second point.

You don’t have to read the whole book or read it in order. Why ? Well, generally, more than 40% of a book represents a contextualization. The author introduces the subject with all the elements necessary to avoid you having to search in other books.

This is how, by reading the book, the leaders, having a goal in mind, most of the time, scroll through the pages to the chapter that interests them, the chapter where they think they can find the answer they are looking for. Once in this chapter, they sequentially write down what they learn by leaving markers in the book. In other words, they use it as a notepad. This makes it easy to find yourself when you want to review the concepts of a book, several months after reading it.

3- Most of the time, they take shortcuts

Time, as you know, is the most essential element in our lives.

The trick is this : as long as you can take shortcuts, take it.

Instead of spending a lot of time reading about how to put together a product, find someone who has already done it and ask them how they did it. It’s not for nothing that the coaching profession has grown in recent years, although many make it a lucrative business.

You still don’t need to read a book to find out what you want, you just need to reach your goal. Whether it is through reading or listening to a book, or through mentorship doesn’t really matter.

Great leaders pay skilled coaches thousands of dollars just to find all the tricks possible to solve the type of puzzle in front of them. They then delegate this often boring task of going to choose, read and write down anything that might interest them.

The most important thing is to know what you want to know shortly.

4- When they learn, they apply

I recently read an article in which there was mention of a coach who was talking with his client. After setting up a detailed plan on how to reach his goal, the coach asked him, “Would you implement what I just taught you? ” To his surprise, the client replied “I don’t think so, no“. “But, I have just given you everything you need to reach your goal, for what reason then?” Replied the coach. “Well, because this plan will ask me to change things in my daily life and I don’t want that” said the client. And he’s right, it could often ask you to change what you do on a daily basis.

When you want to solve the puzzle, you will have to change the dice to what you want. Maybe just for a moment, but do it to see how it looks. Those who succeed in one area of their life are no smarter than you. The only difference is that they implement at least 90% of what they learn. “When you want a good result, learn from the best and apply.” Apply do not mean to say “repeat the same thing“, but rather, understand the principle and implement it according to its own variables.

I meet, often people who participate in a personal development seminar today, they come out of it boosting up to the blow with a real conviction to make things happen in their lives, but find themselves, 3 days later, in the process of procrastinate as if nothing had happened. Do you see where I’m coming from? You can learn whatever you want, take the best coach in the world, but if you don’t have the ability to apply, you’re just wasting your time.

It is by practicing that a leader is formed.

Finally, there is this question that I want to answer.

Why are leaders constantly learning?

Because they know that there is something, somewhere, that they ignore and that could be better for them in their business or family life. Yes, a leader can also be the father or mother who manages his home.

That’s all for the moment.