How to Read Like a Successful CEO

by The Business Guild

How many times have you heard someone say successful CEOs read at least one book a week?

It's crazy, right? Who has time to read that much? And why would you?

Success & leadership coach Avil Beckford from the Invisible Mentor says that while it is common to see articles about how many books people like Elon Musk, Warren Buffett, and Oprah Winfrey read, nobody focuses on why these busy executives do this or how they find the time.

The answer is simple.

Knowledge is the power that fuels success.

When author and trade show marketing expert Lisa M. Masiello sat down to write her book, Trade Show 411: The Essential Guide to Exhibiting Like a Pro, she made a conscious decision to present the content in standalone chapters. Her goal was to give marketing professionals a quick reference tool for guidance about specific areas of trade show marketing.

She says, "Businesspeople want to find the answer and move on to the next item on their to-do list. While a 296-page book can add value, they need the information now."

Successful CEOs don't read business books cover to cover.

Instead, they start with the chapters that address their specific questions.

Beckford believes this method of reading is an important skill for business professionals who want to embrace continuous learning and develop leadership skills.

Most of us read books front to back, cover to cover, but Beckford says we don't have to.

The focused style of reading can be a challenge for people because it means re-learning how to read. However, it is the most-effective method for a busy businessperson to rapidly read and distill information. (Why do you think websites like Wikipedia are so popular?)

Contrary to what most people think, no rule says you must start on page 1 and read every word until you reach the last page.

The good news is that Beckford has an easy way to skip the fluff and digest the key information so you can remember and apply it.

1. Start by understanding what information you need, then make sure you have the right book

2. Skim the table of contents and index - be sure to highlight pertinent sections

3. Take notes as you read - We all remember college. How often did you underline, highlight, and scribble thoughts and takeaways in the margins?

Unless it's a how-to book that builds on previous chapters, you can dive into the middle of most business books without losing the plot.

Using Trade Show 411 as an example, if you want to understand exhibitor shipping options you would bypass the early sections about strategy and pre-show tips and go directly to chapter 16, where Masiello outlines the various shipping options, tips, and warnings about shipping your exhibitor booth and materials.

Reading an e-book? No problem! Kindle, Nook, and most e-reader apps let you highlight text and take digital notes while you're reading.

What about books that aren't written with standalone chapters?

Some non-fiction books, like biographies, are meant to be read as a whole. They tell a story that follows a classic structure and skipping sections could mean losing important parts of the story.

In most business books, however, you don't have to read chapters in order.

Authors go to great pains to present a logical order to content, but if it's not in line with your need, by all means, jump around and read the sections containing the takeaways you're seeking.

As Beckford says, many books suffer from "too many words."

Although the rise of e-books has given many skilled, insightful professionals a vehicle to share their expertise, many self-published authors fail to understand the value of a professional editor to weed out excessive prose.

These extra words take away from the reader's ability to quickly find the information they need.

If that's the case, skim non-essential content and flag sections to come back to later.

Successful executives understand that the more they know, the more successful they can become, so they embrace reading as part of their daily and weekly routines.

This is an easy habit you can cultivate, too.

You don't have to read a book in one sitting.

You don't even have to read a book every week. Just set aside 10 to 15 minutes a day for reading to increase your business knowledge; before you know it, you'll discover the value that the Musks, Buffets, and Winfreys have known about for years!

The original post, “How to Read Like a Successful CEO,” was published in Flackery.