For those with an interest in business, knowing the habits of successful business people serves as a blueprint for life changes.
One of the habits that business people are known for is reading. This article will therefore help you learn whether business people actually read a lot.
With that said, let’s begin with the burning question.
Do business people read a lot?
Successful business people and leaders like Elon Musk read a lot and are well read. They often read with the intent to find useful information hidden within books. This means scanning books for vital information crucial to their personal and professional lives.
Business people are also known to read foundational books which are usually very old and classical in nature.
The Reading Routines of the Successful
One question that begs to be asked while on the subject of business people and their reading habits is whether or not such successful people read every day.
If you’re looking to adopt the reading habits of the successful here’s what you can learn about their reading routine;
Not all successful people read every day but they’re consistent readers that have a well-developed habit of reading that can endure the challenges brought by life.
This means they can miss a few days of reading, but can pick up on it whenever they get the chance.
Successful people often find the time to read as part of way to keep the mind productively engaged in learning something new even if it’s just for a few minutes.
As Tim Corley suggests in his book “Change Your Habits Change your life”; most successful people read for 30 minutes per day, on average. And those 30 minutes are usually spread out over the day.
CEO’s and Reading
CEO’s like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and warren buffet are all consistent readers.
So why is reading so important to CEO’s?
Well, the main reason why the Elon’s, Mark’s and Buffets of this world read a lot is because of the value that books provide.
This value is usually in the form of answers, ideas, motivation, inspiration, useful information and many other important things.
For somebody looking to develop healthy habits of reading it is therefore important to understand that Reading in itself alone won’t make you rich or wealthy, but it can provide and arm you with the knowledge and tools to create wealth.
Why it’s important for business people to read
Better opinions
Running a business is no easy job. Therefore having some reading material as reference tools to help you can be very rewarding.
Reading a book allows you to get better opinions about complex issues in business. These better opinions can then help you run your business.
Most business people know the worth of better or different opinions and this is the reason why they may be more open to reading a book.
Getting a better educated opinion on various topics as a result of reading can change your life and the way you conduct yourself.
Even the most established business people don’t know everything so it would be wrong to say they shouldn’t read books.
Avoiding mistakes
The world of business is diverse and filled with various circumstances that change over time…
To avoid mistakes in this world, one needs to prepare for them and know how to tackle them.
Most non-fiction books are packed with experiences of the author and most of the times stories are shared as way to inspire and be relatable…
Therefore, reading books for business people can be a way to inquire into other people’s journeys which can include information on their wins, mistakes, downward spirals, lessons and a variety of other things…
Reading the mistakes that other people have made in their business journey is a great way to learn how you can avoid them if they do appear in the future.
Therefore reading is important habit that can help you improve yourself immensely because you can learn from the lessons of others
Growth
One attribute of success in business is constant and consistent growth… The fact is, a business cannot be called that if it doesn’t necessarily grow…
Every successful person in business knows this.
Sometimes growth in business doesn’t necessarily mean a boost in sales… sometimes it can be growth in the overall approach that the company or business has toward the market.
This is where books can be helpful for business people… because they can read books to get ideas of how they can grow their businesses.
Knowledge gathered from such endeavors usually means well for the business in general.
Reading is essential for personal growth because it can shape the way we think about things and how we apply ourselves in endeavors.
Many topics at once
A book may be one that solves a very specific problem but the fact is…books address a lot of other topics related to the specific problem.
This is vital because a variety of topics around a specific problem provides the context that is needed to understand the problem and solve it.
Reading books in this regard can be helpful for somebody in business because it can help them address their own problems and challenges using a lot of reference subjects.
For example a book on building a huge customer base will involve, marketing techniques like segmentation, brand awareness etc… Which are various facets that can help a business change its approach.
Therefore reading is an essential habit that can be leveraged to learn more about topics of varying nature.
Better thinking
Everybody knows that reading is good for the brain because it helps it work better and more efficiently…
Most people that read books develop a good memory combined with a good source of knowledge.
Therefore, successful business people utilize books in this regard… Memory is important to have a functioning business and a good source of knowledge is equally important.
It is for this reason that business people may spend time reading books because it can help them think better and make better decisions.
Easy idea generation
Most books come packed with a wealth of knowledge which is very important for various reasons.
Information and knowledge are key when it comes to idea generation.
Some of the best ideas that people come up with have been a result of being exposed to various knowledge and information.
This is one of the reasons why it would be very important for a business person to be immersed in books that can offer them the foundation for idea generation.
Remember that small ideas become big ideas very quickly in the world of business.
Great way to take a break
To some extent, any person involved in business has some workaholic tendencies…
It basically comes with the job…and that is the nature of it.
A great way to relax is to read a book. It is infact recommended for people with lifestyles that consist of them being constantly engaged in business for long hours.
Working all the time can easily burn you out and make it difficult for you to essentially come up with new ideas or work efficiently.
Reading is therefore a great and highly productive habit that a business person should cultivate in order to ensure that the brain is kept free of pressure when rest is required.
You can test ideas
With the wealth of information that reading certain books can give you. It can be easy for you to be able to draw ideas from books and be able to apply them to real life situations.
You can then easily test various theories and choose the ones that actually make a difference in the real world.
Essentially, we should all read to understand things better. In the business context, this is even more important.
Good ideas tested in real life provide the statistics and information necessary to improve the way a person carries out their work and their business.
You can use experience for judgement
Nobody succeeds in business without having good judgement.
Good judgement is what separates those that make it in business and those that have a tough time breaking through.
Good judgement is always a result of experience.
The experience that a business person gathers over time can help them even further when it comes to reading.
When you have good judgement you can easily read books better and understand them better.
This makes gathering ideas even easier because judgement can help you filter out the noise.
Related Articles You Should Read
Can Reading Books Make You Rich?
Is Reading Books A Waste Of Time?
Is Reading Considered A Hobby?
Additional Resources
Bill Gates Reads 50 Books A Year – Find Out Why – Blinkist
9 of the Most Successful People Share Their Reading Habits – Business Insider
The Reading Habits of Ultra-Successful People | HuffPost Life
10 Reasons Why People Who Read A Lot Are More Likely To Be Successful – Life Hack
Reading Habits of the Most Successful Leaders -Inc
