During a recent business development meeting, my colleagues and I were discussing the reading habits of successful people. This particular conversation was sparked by one of the members sharing his experience of recently visiting the Thomas Jefferson Library in Washington D.C. He voiced surprised at the number of fiction books in the former President’s library. We then proceeded to discuss the balance that most successful people have between reading fiction for enjoyment and business books for professional development.
That conversation has stayed with me for several days now. I am an avid reader–I usually have three books in several formats going at any given time. I enjoy my Nook; I enjoy a good old fashion book in which I can write and highlight; and I enjoy audio books while driving. However, the common themes running through the books I read are business-improvement and self-improvement. I very rarely allow myself the luxury to read a good mystery or a comedy. I even realized recently that I was envious of my husband who always makes time for a light hearted book. So now that I have identified and confessed my weakness, what is my plan to change? Do I really want the balance that successful people have or do I want to continue feeling cheated because I seem to have less time than anyone else?
Rumor has it that we all have 24 hours each day. Yet, I always feel as though I have less time or need more time than others. I am a planner for goodness sake! Why don’t I just plan some time everyday to read for pleasure? Sounds simple enough, right? Wrong! It isn’t enough to want something. It isn’t enough to say I am going to do something. It isn’t enough to plan. For me to actually change my habits and routines, I must actually do something differently than I am doing now.
So what does that have to do with executive leadership? Plenty! If you don’t take care of yourself first, who will? You can’t lead if you aren’t taking care of yourself first. For you, like me, that may mean reading something besides business material. It may mean running every morning or a soaking bath at the end of the day. If we don’t develop ourselves by controlling our habits, the input we receive, and our circle of influence, then we can’t really expect the environment that we control and design to be any different than it has been up to now. If you call yourself a leader, what do you really see in the mirror when no one else is looking? Are you consistent? Are you balanced?
The older I get, I realize that balance isn’t the same thing for everyone. But I do know that when I look at great leaders whom I respect and admire, both historical and current, they are men and women that haven’t been focused solely on corporate success. They consciously want also to be remembered as positive leaders within their circle of friends, families, and social settings. They realize that to be strategic in their daily work environments, they must balance their personal time, as well. It turns out that the 24-hour rumor is true. I can either choose to continue this crazy merry-go-round, or I can be strategic in my personal life just as I am in the office and perform a basic operational assessment. So, I think I’ll go dust off that mystery I’ve been waiting to read.