How becoming a dedicated monthly bookworm can change your life
Within his “How to Thrive on the Other Side of 2020” session at the Marine Retailers Association of the America’s Dealer Week conference and expo last December, speaker and educator John Spence shared with us some critical information about the importance of reading books. Spence, a global business expert, executive coach, author, strategic planner and thought leader, shared that if you read one book every other month, or six a year, you would be in the top 1 percent in the U.S. If you double that figure to 12 books a year, you would be in the top 1 percent of book readers in the world!
MRAA President Matt Gruhn is participating in this friendly reading foray as well. He told me he’s already completed six books in 2021. Honestly, I’m still only on one hand and I find that somewhat dispiriting. You see, when I first started at the MRAA in August, I was given the go-ahead to order some skills-based books that were meant to help educate and encourage me, not add more to my plate. So far, I’ve tackled Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller and They Ask You Answer by Marcus Sheridan. However, I’ve also added daily reads of Soul Fuel by Bear Grylls and two podcasts over the last month, which Spence says counts as long as they are skills-based and for growth.
In fact, one podcast I’m enjoying is Rob Dial’s “Mindset Mentor” series. The episode titled “9 Habits of Successful People” listed the No. 5 habit as “read often.” Coincidentally, this is an excerpt from a BOOK titled Hack Your Goals: The Step-by-Step Guide to Achieving Success that Dial co-authored with Dean DeVries. The podcast shared that the average CEO reads 60 books a year. Not six or even 12, but 60! That’s FIVE books a month. Some of the most successful people on earth read five times the amount of books Spence informed us would place you in the top one percent. That’s extraordinary!
Spence added in his Dealer Week session — BTW, you can register and watch it today along with the other training courses from the MRAA conference! — that the average college graduate reads half a book a year (on skills). And now we’ve found practically the opposite end of the spectrum compared to the CEOs Dial spoke about. Wow! I don’t know about you, but I’m diligently trying to improve at this personal dedication to increase my reading frequency and book totals.
Will you take Spence’s challenge with me? It is this: Invest in 15 minutes a day (5 hours a month) to study and learn by reading or listening to a book. YES, audiobooks count as well, and are ideal for those of you who spend a lot of time alone driving or traveling. Spence says, “if you did this consistently, you’d be in the top 1 percent in the world, and in three or four years, you would see a huge positive impact in your life and your career.” Making the commitment to create a huge win in your life and career seems like a no brainer to me.
I’ve created my own list of reasons for going all in when it comes to book reading that could entice you even more. There are literally dozens of reasons why you should read more and do less of other mindless things. I’ve only listed a few.
10 Reasons Why You Need to Read
1. Read for personal growth.
2. Read for professional knowledge and career goals.
3. Read for team building / bonding.
4. Read to replace hours spent surfing on social channels.
5. Read for your family, extended family and neighbors.
6. Read instead of binge-watching shows and gaming.
7. Read for cultural awareness.
8. Read for your health: (mental, nutritional and physical)
9. Read to avoid the notion that you’re too busy.
10. Read to show your children that reading is a valuable tool and a path-builder to success.
And finally, I’ll leave you with a place to start your own personal and professional library. You could begin with one of the books I’ve listed already above or select a few from a peer-to-peer book recommendations list I constructed from the conversations during Spence’s session at MRAA’s Dealer Week 2020 virtual conference and expo. Dealers, you can generate ideas for starting in-house book clubs or competitions to improve teamwork and staff IQ/EQ/AQ. It can be a way to enhance onboarding of new employees or be incorporated into your existing continuous training plans. It’s really up to you to take this information and challenge and run with it. Also, let me know (send me an email: jerrod@mraa.com) if you’ve read any of these books already or have a recommended book that has changed your life, attitude or approach.
18 Peer-to-Peer Book Recommendations from MRAA’s Dealer Week session “How to Thrive on the Other Side of 2020” with John Spence
1. You are a Badass by Jen Sincero
2. The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything by Stephen M.R. Covey
3. The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict by The Arbinger Institute
4. Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting out of the Box by The Arbinger Institute
5. The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle
6. Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink
7. Leadership Strategy and Tactics: Field Manual by Jocko Willink
8. Who Moved My Cheese?: An A-Mazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life by Spencer Johnson
9. The New One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard
10. Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and in Life One Conversation at a Time by Susan Scott
11. Start with Why series by Simon Sinek
12. The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace: Empowering Organizations by Encouraging People 1st by Gary Chapman
13. Leadership Lessons from a UPS Driver: Delivering a Culture of We, Not Me by Ron Wallace
14. Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War by Robert Coram
15. The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
16. If Aristotle Ran General Motors by Tom Morris
17. The Starbucks Experience: 5 Principles for Turning Ordinary Into Extraordinary by Joseph Michelli
18. Straight Up: Honest, Unfiltered, As-Real-As-I-Can-Put-It Advice for Life’s Biggest Challenges by Trent Shelton
