Roger Farr

Roger and Sue Farr are leadership trainers and developers, writing on a subject close to their heart - leadership in the family.

I never seem to have enough time for reading, but I make the time, simply because I know how important reading is to me and to the people I lead.

Anyone who has been around me long enough, knows that I love to read and will frequently ask people I meet as towhat they are reading. With that simple question,I find out what they are interested in and I learn about interesting authors and books that will help me grow.

My friend, Dave Kraft, who is author of the book Leaders Who Last, took time to write down as to why he reads. In this article, I'd like to share his perspectives, and then editorialise a bit with my comments marked by (RF).

What follows below are his thoughts, at 70+ years of age, as to his purpose in life to raise up the next generation of leaders.

Leaders are readers. There is no way of getting around it. Any leader worth his salt knows what he doesn’t know and does something about it.

Leaders are lifelong learners and one of the best ways to keep learning that I know of, is to keep reading. When you stop reading, you stop learning and when you stop learning, you stop leading with effectiveness.

We all have our excuses as to why we don’t read as much as we say we want to, or think we should. The first thing I would say in this regard is to get off your “but”!

I would love to read more, but…

• I don't know what to read or how to read
• I am a slow reader
• I am too busy, just barely keeping up with what is already on my plate.

You will never “find”the time to read. I have never met anyone who was walking down the street and found some time just “lying there” for the taking. We all have the same amount of time as the CEO of a Fortune 500 company or the guy flipping burgers at the local McDonalds -- 168 hours a week.

You have never had less than that and you will never have more than that, no matter how many times you say to yourself, “I wish I had more time.”

With reading, as with most other important things in your life that you never seem to get to, it is a matter of priorities and values, not time. You will always make time for what you think is truly important!

Here are seven things that you can begin doing, to build the habit of reading more:

1. Set a specific goal

For over 15 years,I have had a goal to readat least two books a month (24 books a year). I discovered that for the last 14 years,I have averaged reading 29 books a year!

This didn’t happen by accident or by wishing. What gets measured gets done. Perhaps you should start with a goal to read one book a month and tell someone about your goal. There’s nothing like accountability to keep you moving. (RF: Five years ago, I was reading only six books a year. I made myself a goal to read one book a month. I would have read approximately 24 books last year, many of which I had bought extra copies of, and shared them with others!)

2. Make Time

To make (not find, as you will not “find”) time, you will want to decide what you will sacrifice, so that you can read. You may want to watch less television, go to bed 30 minutes earlier so you can get up 30 minutes earlier to read, or cut some time out of an addictive hobby you have that is eating away at your finite 168 hours a week. If reading is to be a priority for you, you’ll make time for it! (RF: I've traded my golfing days for reading and investing time with my family. As my time has become more precious to me, I've had to make hard decisions as to where and in what ways I invest my time.)

3. Build the habit with a set routine

Not all routines are bad. Find the time of day and days of the week that will work best for you and build a consistent habit to read at those times. Shut down your computer and turn your i-Pad or cell phone off, so you are not distracted.

Find a place that can be your reading place. Don’t try and read where you normally work. If you were to faithfully and consistently read for just 20-30 minutes a day, you could finish two 250-300 page books every month. I know it works, for I have been doing this for 15 years!

During your lunch hour, early in the morning, or just before going to bed, are times that have worked for a lot of people. (RF: I find my best time to be early in the morning --before breakfast -- if I am reading to learn. For lighter reading, I will do it in the evening, as I go to bed. This is usually when I read news magazines or fiction.)

4. Get recommendations on books to read

I have leaders whom I deeply respect and admire. Some are friends or co-workers, and some are authors. I always have a keen eye open for books they recommend. I also have 6-10 favourite authors and read anything they write.

Ask some of your co-workers or leaders you know as to what they have been reading recently, and get some top-notch recommendations.

I generally don’t read what is on the best sellers’ list or what everyone else may be reading. I have to be motivated. I read what I am pretty sure I will enjoy and profit from. When I am reading a magazine article, I always have an eye open for a book that is referenced or highly recommended, and in a couple of minutes, it’s on my i-Pad!

I made the shift from paper to electronic about three years ago. (RF: I will routinely ask the people I mentor, what books they would recommend for me to read. Those in their 20's will expose me to authors I might not normally read. Those in their 50's will expose me to books I should have read long ago, but somehow missed. This happened with a book recommended to me nearly 20 years ago, but which I just read last year!)

5. Don’t read primarily for entertainment, but for growth

I mostly read to learn and grow as a leader. It is not that I never read something for the pure joy of reading, but the bulk of my “reading diet” is non-fiction. I love to read business books (just finished the story of In-N-Out Burger), as well as sports-related books (read the story of Duke’s Coach K and Pat Summit of Tennessee’s Lady Vols).

Suffice it to say, you will be more motivated (as you probably were not in school) to read if there is a good reason to read what you read.

Follow your hobbies, your interests and your passions as you choose your books. (RF: I read mostly leadership books and books that will help me be more effective at working with leaders in the church and in the community.)

7. Start tomorrow…don’t wait

The biggest waste of time is the waste of time getting started. (RF: Rightly said!)

RF: Parents, I hope you will instill in your children, the lifelong joy of reading, and model a habit of reading for them as they grow and develop!

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