Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Read Read Read to Grow

I'm a big fan of self-help books. There, I said it. Does that make me an "airy fairy New Agey" type of person? Perhaps. What I'd like to think that it makes me growth oriented. Business and self-help books out there today are better than they've ever been. It should be a priority for any person in business today to read some of the great material out there and to continue wanting to always grow, always learn and always strive for better. Something I've enjoyed discovering is exactly how much I don't know, a fact underscored by every great personal growth author on the market. Every day I hear about a new book I want to read or a new philosophy I'd like to learn more about so there is never any shortage of amazing material. Since time is limited I enjoy listening to books on audio and try to listen to at least one a week during my morning commute. Some of the ones I've recently checked out include:

  • "The Tipping Point", by Malcolm Gladwell - a classic for any industry or person. Delving deep into behaviors and what drives consumers at the core, it's a fun and very enlightening read.
  • "Why Great Leaders Don't Take Yes For An Answer", by Michael A Roberto - a bit more of an involved read but truly great message; addressing the "yes culture" so prominent in most corporations today, and how to deal with it.
  • "Made To Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die", by Chip Heath - great logical flow from The Tipping Point. Fun cover and fun read. Marketing must!
Just consider an excerpt from Mr. Gladwell: "I think that word of mouth is something created by three very rare and special psychological types, whom I call Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen." Now ... wouldn't you be curious as to which one YOU fall under, or if you are a marketer or salesman, which one your customer or boss falls under?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great article Maggie! As the author of a book devoted to increasing your learning ability, I am also a real believer in personal developemnt. Reading, aka learning, is the key to all earning! One of my mottos is "If you want to earn more, you have to learn more!"

I find it interestng that this article had no prior comments. It validates, although in a non-scientific manner, that people are looking for instant gratification and rewards, unwilling to pay the price for success. Education is a major component of that success. Reading, learning and personal development are so important.

Maggie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.

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