READ TO LEAD

"Why Reading Raises Your Bar"

Josiah Igono, PhD
November 27, 2024

I used to hate reading. I was good in school, even up until high school when I was in Honors classes, but I hated reading. I could use raggedy notes, and summarize papers with the best of them. I could doctor up a paper from having read just a few paragraphs, and hold my own in a mediocre conversation about subject matter…but mediocre is not good enough.

I grew up in a time before alternative intelligence (AI), so I used to use Cliff’s notes to summarize what the teacher had asked us to read.

Fast forward several years and now I would work with collegiate and professional athletes. In an attempt to get better, I sought out mentors, and those that were well-versed in the world of strength, conditioning, and physical preparation. When I gave my programs to be reviewed by a mentor of mine, my professional life would change.

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As I went back to my hotel during that professional development trip, I knew I had one of two decisions to make. I was either going to go another direction professionally and do something else with my life, or I would humble myself and make the requisite changes needed to become better…

I remember thinking that I had the best training programs around. At the time, I was working with multiple athletes, spanning, different sports, and I gave my mentor programs to review. He meticulously started picking apart my programs, questioning why I would do ”X”, asking if I knew that “Y” could hurt my athletes, and vehemently tested my knowledge of the different energy systems and my rationale. It became clear that I wasn’t as good as I thought I was.

I remember feeling like I was 2 inches tall, and my head was about to explode. As I went back to my hotel during that professional development trip, I knew I had one of two decisions to make. I was either going to go another direction professionally and do something else with my life, or I would humble myself and make the requisite changes needed to become better... I chose the latter.

One of of the benefits of choosing the latter was that I was exposed to literature, books, and publications that I never knew existed. I started reading books I never knew existed…and guess what? It led me to more authors, more niche areas, and more information than my finite brain could comprehend. I was able to add decades of knowledge and understanding to my repertoire from simply spending a few hours consuming what these experts were sharing with me and books!

I’ve never looked back. If you are not reading, congratulations…you will become the T-Rex of your profession….an exciting part of the PAST. You will get passed up. The way information is available now, AI and computers make it nearly impossible to keep up, but if you are able to read and synthesize thoughts, you can take your own unique gifts, talents, and abilities, coupled with the knowledge that you’ve consumed and put your individual thumbprint on it… This makes you irreplaceable and uniquely qualified to speak, teach, or present in any profession with no one else being quite like you.

Here are some top reasons why you should start reading now:

*Reading has the largest ROI when compared to any other form of personal development.

*You can synthesize in hours what it took someone 20 years to be able to write.

*You become a rarity in your industry.

*Reading allows you to create new connections and innovations based on your existing knowledge base.

*Reading positively impacts your vocabulary & writing.

Here are a few books that I have truly enjoyed and a few that I have written: