Laurie KennedyIf you read an hour a day in your field of interest and continue for a year, you would cover fifty two books. Fifty two books a year in your field of interest means you are advancing your knowledge in your field and are well on your way to becoming the expert. Continue the habit, specialize and you are the expert.

Malcolm Gladwell in his book Outliers confirms that, “the people at the very top don’t just work harder or even much harder than everyone else. They work much, much harder.  The idea that excellence at performing a complex task requires a critical minimum level of practice surfaces again in studies of expertise. In fact, researchers have settled on what they believe is the magic number for true expertise:  ten thousand hours.”

Joseph Grenny in his book Influencer quotes Psychologist Anders Ericsson, “people who climb to the top of just about any field eclipse their peers through something as basic as deliberate practice.”

A.W. Tozer is quoted in Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders “Leaders should determine to spend a minimum of half an hour a day reading books that feed the soul and stimulate the mind.

Leaders are readers. My mentors refer books to me on a continual basis. Their recommendations are critical to help me grow and develop. One of my key mentors is an avid reader. Rusty is Assistant Fire Marshal for the City of Edmonton. We communicate regularly and meet when possible. Rusty sends a Christmas card with his best reads for the previous year. This list is an awesome resource for me to try to keep up with and emulate his skill.

Leadership is learning to excel and give God the glory in everything you do.

As a leader, what are you reading to improve your skill and ability to use and really use the gifts that God gave you?

Yours in Service,
Laurie D. Kennedy
Leadership Coach