Introduction: Turn the Page by Chris Brady
The words on a page move through time and space. The greatest contributors to society and its progress have been avid readers. You can learn virtually anything by immersing yourself in the pages of a book. Turn the Page by Chris Brady teaches you how to get the most from your reading by introducing you to the concept of leadership reading. What Chris Brady calls leadership reading is what I've been calling strategic reading for several years. I've adopted the term leadership reading because it resonates with me.
Reading is standing on the shoulders of giants.
Definition of Leadership Reading
“Leadership reading is reading with a bent toward making the page impact our lives. It is more than just pleasure, although it can be immensely enjoyable. It is more than reading a lot of books, although it will certainly take us through many volumes. Leadership reading is the active, intentional devouring of the greatest writings applied with earnestness toward the highest aspirations. It is a lifestyle habit that is open to everyone but taken advantage of by only a select few.”
Harry Truman once said,
“Not every reader is a leader, but every leader must be a reader.”
Leaders read differently. They read to learn what they need to know. They search for answers to questions. To read for leadership requires you to think like a leader. They read to find truth and apply it to their lives.
Which books can help you to achieve your life's mission?
Have you read?
Lifetime Learner’s Guide to Reading and Learning, Summary and Review
Summary: Turn the Page by Chris Brady
Leaders read on purpose, with specific goals in mind. So, they are always improving as leaders. When you note the important information you are learning, you increase your own level of understanding. You are also laying the foundation for future readers. Think as you read, to make it an active process.
Read to Create/Take Notes
Keep track of your notes, so you can produce a piece of work. This could be an e-book, a speech, an article, or an online course. When you finish reading a book, review your notes, discuss what you read with another person, and apply what you have read immediately. The author recommends that you create an outline of the book after you've read it.
I think it's easier if you create a mind map. You can easily keep track of important concepts and ideas when you need them. If your goal of buying a book is to read and learn from it, and to become a better leader, then it's important to write down your valuable thoughts. Keep your notes in a place where you won't lose them.
Also find a place to write or store new vocabulary. These are words that you're interested in learning what they mean.
Active Reading
Active reading helps you to become a leadership reader. Readers are protégés and authors are mentors. Approach every book you want to read, with focused and targeted questions. Use books to your advantage to achieve:
- Personal goals.
- Solve actual problems.
- Answer pressing questions.
Questions can be specific to a book. What is more valuable is when questions address important challenges the reader is currently facing in life, career, family, and business.
Why Have Specific Questions Written Down Before You Open A Book?
Questions should be based on current needs. What are you grappling with? Answers often come from unexpected places. Important ideas come from your own thoughts. Books will spark thoughts about issues that you're grappling with.
When you read a variety of books to answer specific questions, you receive fuller, and deeper answers.
Planning
Know your strengths and weaknesses, so you can find strategies to turn weaknesses into strengths and make strengths stronger. If you have a plan, you can find information and principles in books to take you where you want to go. You set yourself up for success when you acknowledge issues and your life goals before reading. Lay the foundation for future speeches, articles, books and influence. Know where you want to go in life.
Art of Reading
As you read, open up yourself to new ideas. PDCA: Plan, do, check, adjust. Be open to new and unexpected ideas and directions. Plan for what you want to get from reading. Act on your plan.
Argue with the Author and Argue with Yourself
When you're arguing with the author, question what the author says. What do you agree and disagree with? Why do you agree or disagree?
The Power of Why
Tests why you agree or disagree with the author? Are your arguments valid? Analyze what you're reading. Follow up with what you learn by taking action. The author advocates that you read several books at once. Before you embrace this, think about who you are. I know this doesn't work for me because I won't finish any of them. I need to read one book at a time. His argument is that people who read, who have five to six books to choose from every time they think about reading, typically read a lot more than those who have only one.
The main point in leadership reading is to elevate your thinking and doing, and to get answers to questions and challenges you face as a leader. You'll get more out of each book by reading several at the same time. The focus is not on the actual books you're reading, but on the questions and challenges you're seeking to answer as you read them.
Make mental connections between the books you read and make connections between important ideas. Read broadly on diverse topics. Vary the level of difficulty of the books you read. Create a list of leadership questions you have. Read the classics and great books. Get a list of the great books.
When you write down a list of your leadership goals, focus on books that take you closer to your goals.
Study Books Like an Artist
What is the book telling you? What are you hearing? Thinking to feel and learn from the book? Learning is creation when you apply the principles.
“Reading a book, the way an artist reads art, is one of the most important principles of leadership reading.”
Read everywhere. And whenever you get the opportunity to do so. Understand a book before you dive into it. Preview the book to test if it's worth reading. This helps you to connect at a greater depth to the information.
When you connect with a book, you'll learn more. In the bookstore or library, spend time browsing through books, flipping through the pages. Take one home.
Love learning. Put yourself in a situation where you're excited and likely to read. Develop the love of reading. Read different books differently. Think of Francis Bacon quote.
“Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is, some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read, but not curiously; and some few are to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention.”
Every book you read tells a story, even nonfiction books. Take control and learn the lessons. Look for mentors in the books you read. What can they teach you? You can learn from the characters. Reading allows you to learn from the experiences of others. Find out what new words mean and discover their roots.
3 Types of Learning
Task learning: This is when you’re looking for specific answers while reading.
Problem learning: The person is given a problem to solve or figure out the answer to something by reading the book.
Mystery learning: Takes you to a deeper level because no one is telling you what you are looking for or even if you're looking for something.
You want to strive for mystery. A leader looking for mystery, which is an idea that comes to you that can help you in life. When you look for mysteries, leaders argue with the author and themselves at a deeper level. You're thinking in powerful ways. You recognize and overcome challenges and problems you didn't realize you have.
Turn the Page: Today's Relevance
The book Turn the Page by Chris Brady is very relevant today because business leaders are busy. And they need effective reading strategies to get through their unread books. The most successful people understand the importance of reading books because the right books have the information they need to drive the business forward.
I have taught senior leaders the concept of strategic reading and they embraced the concept. They no longer suffer from overwhelm because most nonfiction books are longer than they need to be. And they love that they can get the information from nonfiction books in a fraction of the time they used to spend on a book.
Final Thoughts
Turn the Page is an excellent book. And I’m glad I read it because it introduced me to the concept of leadership reading. The book is also a confirmation that I'm on the right track. Take what you learn and apply to future action. Also take right thinking and turn it into right action.
Next Steps
Wondering what to do next, you can do all of:
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Subscribe to my YouTube Channel
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Join the Art of Learning Membership Site
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Download Unlock Your Genius Power Reading Tips Sheet
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Buy me a cup of coffee!
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Buy and Read Turn the Page by Chris Brady
If you want access to my Bookish Notes, please consider joining my membership site, the Art of Learning.
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UPDATE: First published May 26, 2021
