How my love of reading has made me a better leader

By Jana Cinnamon

When we think about the traits of a good leader, there’s one we might forget: part of being a good leader is being a good learner.

This is something I’ve come to realize and fully embrace in my role at Abdo. I’m an avid learner who strives to grow and be better each day. I’m driven by a desire to bring my best to our team and our clients—not only today but in the future as well. This is where reading comes in: it gives me limitless access to expertise.

There are so many brilliant individuals who have done the deep work necessary to research, learn, and come up with great ideas. For every book I read, I gain at least a couple of golden nuggets that can be applied to my work.

Reading has been both a source of inspiration and self-care in my leadership journey. Here are a few of the ways in which I put it into practice.

I read with others.

When it comes to reading for professional development, I have found it incredibly helpful to read with others, specifically my Abdo teammates. Thankfully we have book clubs within our firm—i.e., small groups of individuals who get together to read and discuss a certain book.

We typically break the books down into chapters and meet every couple of weeks to discuss them. During our meetings, we bounce ideas off of each other and brainstorm ways to apply our favorites to our work.

In addition to fuel for our brainstorms, reading together gives us a common language. For instance, my book club recently read “Reset” by Dan Heath. In it, the author uses the term “calendar confetti” to describe inefficient scheduling practices. When we later referenced this concept while planning a project, we all understood what it meant.

I read fiction too.

While I read a lot of personal and professional development books, I do love fiction. This contributes to who I am as a leader as well. Reading fiction gives me insight into interpersonal dynamics; I love studying how humans behave and react and respond. Of course, this relates closely to what we’re working on with leadership.

I read for self-care.

As a leader, we’re often going nonstop. When I tuck in with a good fiction book, I escape into another world. Having this time to disconnect from the day-to-day is so valuable; it’s one of the ways I take care of myself.

We make reading accessible at our firm.

Reading is a part of our culture at Abdo. We’ve created libraries in our offices (rooms with shelves of books—both professional development and fun fiction reads) where staff can pick out a book and sit down to take it in. We also have a firm-wide Teams group devoted to sharing book recommendations.

Making reading accessible is one of the ways we put our core value of growth and development into practice. By sharing and discussing books across departments, teams, and offices, we’re also supporting our value of relationships.

My reading recommendations

My most recommended professional/personal development books:

• “Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know” by Adam Grant
• “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less” by Greg McKeown
• “The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace: Empowering Organizations by Encouraging People” by Gary Chapman and Paul White
• “Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience” by Brené Brown
• “The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More, and Change the Way You Lead Forever” by Michael Bungay Stanier
• “Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done” by Jon Acuff (Fun fact: I’m quoted in Jon’s book “All It Takes is a Goal,” which is another great book!)
• “Reset: How to Change What’s Not Working” by Dan Heath

It’s too hard to pick my favorite fiction reads… but here are some I’ve read within the last year that I’ve loved:

• “Remarkably Bright Creatures” by Shelby Van Pelt
• “The Girl with the Louding Voice” by Abi Daré
• “Joe Nuthin’s Guide to Life” by Helen Fisher

What will you read next?

Yes, reading is central to my never-ending quest to learn and grow as a leader, but it provides much more than knowledge. When shared with my colleagues, it’s a powerful tool for putting innovations into practice and building relationships. And it’s one of my most cherished forms of self-care.

I’m so grateful for any moment I have to get inspired by (or lost in) a book. I’d love reading recommendations from you, so do consider dropping me a line with your favorites!