“Hey, You’ve Gotta Read…”
LGL Leadership is in the leader/organizational development business, and a part of our approach requires a healthy dose of self-development through reading and journaling. As a result, we read a lot of books and are inevitably recommending one or more to those we encounter, based on the book’s message, our assessment, and its applicability to the individual or their context.
I’ll bet that, last week alone, I made over a half dozen book recommendations. In the process, and accompanied by a colleague of mine, we began discussing how incomplete most book recommendations are. So, we want you to read, but also believe we should propose a more substantive framework for making those recommendations.
Here are some (not all) circumstances where we believe reading is particularly useful, and the approach to each we would recommend.
You’re Recommending a Diversion from the Everyday. In this circumstance, the conversation has likely turned to the need for an escape or to simply relax one’s mind for a bit. Your list likely includes those books you’ve read to do the same, and that don’t directly relate to your core professional or self-help interests. In this case:
- recommend the book, by title and author
- offer enough insight to the book’s thesis/hypothesis/theme that the “recommendee” can determine whether it sounds interesting or not
- tell them where they might get it
- offer to follow up after they’ve read the book to determine whether they had the same reaction you did, and to determine whether your recommendation had the intended effect (the timeframe allowed for this follow-up should push their priorities sufficiently that they actually acquire and read the book commensurate with when they’re looking for the escape or relief)
You’re Recommending for General Professional or Personal Development. This is a scenario that typically arises from someone’s stated desire to grow themselves in new areas. Sometimes that comes from one’s self-admission that they don’t know something or an expressed interest to study something new.
- recommend the book, by title and author
- provide whatever insight you believe is useful in both (1) outlining what area this book might provide insight to and (2) convincing the “recommendee” get the book and put it to use
- tell them where they might get it
- if it’s an area you’re also interested in exploring, and a book that you haven’t read yet, offer to read and discuss the book with your colleague on some recurring timeline; if you’ve read the book, we still recommend you set up a schedule to visit with your colleague in order to explore what they may be getting out of the book, including how they might be putting the book’s lessons to use in their work or professional lives
You’re Recommending for Specific Personal or Professional Development. In our business, myriad conversations inevitably settle on an issue or competency area that requires attention, and for which a book and some self-reflection (on their part), might help. In this case, we would recommend you pause a bit more than in the previous two circumstances, scroll through that figurative card catalogue in your head, and identify one or two titles that you believe are applicable to the issue. By now, a few, quiet moments may have passed, and you speak —
- recommend the book, by title and author; if there are multiple editions of the book, ensure you highlight this and commend them to read the most recent edition (unless you’ve found it less useful than previous versions)
- based on your insights to the book, make a compelling case for how this particular read relates to the challenge at hand, as well as what the reader should expect to take away from the time spent; avoid spoiling the read, or influencing their learning in a “group-think” way
- tell them you intend to buy the book for them and send it to them within the week
- once you know they have the book (many online book sellers have easy tracking systems so you know when it hit their mailbox), give them a week to find some time to open the book; follow-up proactively and, if you find they’ve not yet opened it up, agree to a subsequent follow-up where you’ll get into discussing where they are, what they’re taking away, and how they’re applying the lessons to the target challenge
We know that the best leaders read. Sometimes we know what they’re reading. Even fewer times we know why they’re reading it. Be a leader. Read books, and regardless of the circumstance, we’d suggest you owe it to your colleagues, friends, and family to do a better job than simply to make the “you gotta read” admonition. If you’re looking for a book for diversion from the everyday, to grow yourself personally or professionally, or to address specific challenges or growth areas, shoot us a message. We promise to follow our own advice.