The benefits of reading management books
Good leaders are not born, and while some people may have some innate leadership qualities, development of those qualities can take a person from being a good leader to a great leader. Much the same can be said about management skills. Between innate ability and the things that are learned in college and on the job, it is possible to become a good manager. But how does one become a great manager? The answer may well be in the books the manager reads.
Filling the management knowledge reservoir
Every business college’s curriculum has courses in management at both the undergraduate and graduate level. These courses have value in that they provide a good introduction to management and more importantly to the various authors and viewpoints on management. At the same time, not all graduates of the top business schools go on to be great CEOs leading and managing Fortune 500 companies. Part of this can be ascribed to individual talent, experience and opportunity. Another part has to do with knowledge, and the best managers have a wealth of knowledge that their college background doesn’t quite explain. Many of these leaders took the time to read extensively on management and then took the time to either discuss these concepts with mentors and peers or applied them directly to their work environment to gauge the level of success of the concept.
Acquiring the knowledge necessary to be considered an expert takes time. Some authors estimate that it takes 10 years of reading a management book a week to attain expert knowledge in the management field. While reading alone won’t make every MBA grad a high-flying CEO, with careful thought and discussion of the ideas presented along with application, it could very well make the difference in being a trusted executive in the inner circle or just one of the multitude of mid-level executives that Jack Welch referred to as B- or C-level performers in his book Winning. It is worth noting that Welch referred to C-level performers as ones that the organization should shed in order to bring in new talent in search of the next group of A- and B-level performers.
When to start and what to read
Many mid-level managers wonder what it takes to move up and either dream of their lucky break or seek a way to create it within their company. Others look outward at other companies, and it is not unusual to see a professional resume of a young executive that highlights several moves with increasing levels of responsibility. For some, these moves are within the same company and in all cases it shows a willingness to move for the need of the company. These moves add experience and by extension, some level of knowledge. An executive, a mid-level manager and even an entry-level manager would be well served to begin a reading regimen. The added knowledge, if displayed at a tactical level (meaning actions aimed at a specific event) can be part of a strategic plan (meaning long-term career advancement). Distilled to its essence, the time to start reading management books is now!
So what should the aspiring manager be reading? Nearly every good manager has a list or a personal library. Checking with the boss to see what books he or she has read that was thought to be worthwhile is a start. It might even lead to some good conversations if handled tactfully. There are a host of management writers on the Web who have their own recommendations, and after completing one list, check out the next. There are also the staples that every aspiring manager should read, and likely foremost among these is Maxwell’s book on the 21 laws of leadership.
Reading about management and the complementary books on leadership can greatly assist both the developing and experienced manager. Remaining limited in the overall body of knowledge of management can likewise be limiting on a career in management. The sooner the aspiring manager begins an extended reading regimen of the chosen field, the better that manager will be in the future.
