Readers are leaders, who doesn’t know that? It was the mantra of educators and public service commercials throughout my entire childhood.
But I hated to read. I “read” when I had to at school. Jane Eyre, The Great Gatsby, The Scarlet Letter – I hated it! What good is this ever going to do me?
Is this really the reading that makes leaders?
In my humble opinion, no. Not even close (and I’m not just saying that because I couldn’t pass a simple quiz on any of them).
The reading that makes leaders does so because it changes their lives. It shapes them. It gives them new ideas and helps them learn from the paths of others.
The bad news is I was in my mid twenties before I discovered this type of reading. The good news is that is plenty early for it to radically change my life.
And that’s exactly what it has done. After reading over a hundred books in the last few years, here are five that literally changed my life for the better.