I’d Like to Read More Books, but it Takes so Darn Long

I can read a Stuart Woods book in about two sittings. I can’t say that for business or self-help books. I begin those by picking up a highlighter and having a pen nearby. The better the book, the longer it takes to finish because I spend so much time stopping, thinking, forming ideas and scribbling notes in the margins. Perhaps this is why I haven’t taken up reading books on my iPad.

I want to thank our client Debi Drescher at Stauffers of Kissel Hill for “making” me read the book Practically Radical: Not-So-Crazy Ways To Transform Your Company, Shake Up Your Industry, And Challenge Yourself. FastCompany magazine cofounder, William C. Taylor, is the author. I love its description as “a manifesto for change and a manual for making it happen.” It’s a thought-provoking read with case studies that are a gold mine for ideas.

As an example, here’s one I highlighted, underlined and circled. “Ask your staff to be prepared to discuss their thoughts on two things: First, what are we not doing that we should start doing right away? And second, what should we immediately stop doing in order to allow for the emergence of the new?” Hmmm. If you want to transform your organization, buy and read this book … with highlighter and pen in hand.