This post was guest blogged by David Lingholm.
I have always enjoyed reading since I started as a four year-old. My first book was Just for You by Mercer Meyer, which I read so often my parents were not sure if I really was reading or if I just memorized the book. That love for reading carried on for years and I found myself challenged with a big, hairy, audacious goal (BHAG) to read 52 books this year.
Why did I set this goal for myself? What’s the point? How will I ever achieve it? What do you read?
Trust me, all of those questions and several others have run through my mind. I am at 31 books with a month to go, so I have my work cut out for me. This is a rather strange goal, partially because it is completely personal. No one would ever know if I only read 50 books unless I rat on myself. It can also be time consuming because I refuse to read 52 kids books and call it a day.
I set this goal because I keep hearing leaders are readers and I want to be a great leader, both in business and in my community. We have a unique business environment in this state, one that is crying for responsible leadership. Leaders who are willing to set politics aside and do what is right, not what will make money. Leaders who understand that uplifting employees, companies and communities is crucial to their long-term success. My journey is not about me, it is about creating a great community for me to one day raise my family in.
The achieving the goal part is what makes this a true BHAG. I thought it would be easy, I read every night before I go to bed. I have found that creating a reading space, or at least not always reading in bed is critical to my comprehension. It is easier to apply what you have read when you remember the lessons! Audio books might upset the purists, but it is a great strategy I learned that has helped me turn my commute time into learning time.
Finding the books has been interesting. Most authors are readers to, so I will read their bibliography and read what they read. I have a few authors on my Facebook and they will discuss what they are reading. Look, if Bob Burg says it’s a good book, it must be a good book!
I have learned a lot from this little goal of mine. I have learned how to set strong personal and professional goals. I have learned about effective ways I have learned that it is okay to fail in life and business as long as you learn from the experience. I have learned that great leaders were often doubted and ridiculed but continued to do the right thing, letting time become the ultimate judge. The bottom line is if you want business success, you have to read!
Part-time blogger and full-time networker, David Lingholm is the leadoff hitter for Basso Design Group (www.bassodesigngroup.com), premier creators of interactive media. In addition, he is a director for BNI of Michigan supporting chapters throughout southeast Michigan. During his spare time, he serves of the Board of Trustees for the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Detroit and the Maple Valley Memorial Scholarship Foundation. If all else fails, you might even find him whitewater rafting in West Virginia or anywhere else the water is wild!
For more, check him out online at http://goal52.blogspot.com; http://www.linkedin.com/in/davidlingholm or e-mail dave@bassodesigngroup.com
