You Don’t Need To Read Another Business Book, Until…

Back in my ministry days, I read a little from/about Juan Carlos Ortiz.  The story goes that one Sunday, he delivered an impassioned sermon on:  “Brothers and Sisters, Love one another.” Filled with Scripture, stories, pleas, arguments, he urged his folks to actually love one another more deeply.  The following Sunday, he stood up to preach his sermon, and here it was, in its entirety:

“Brothers and Sisters, love one another.”

Then he sat down.  After an awkward silence, with the congregation a little confused, a member of his church called out, “Brother Ortiz, we are waiting to hear your sermon.” Preacher Ortiz rose to the pulpit, and said:

“When you actually love one another, as I preached last week, then I will preach my next sermon.”

Whether the story is true or not, I certainly get the point.  It is certainly a true to the real world story.

We read a book filled with good ideas.  We think of ways to change/better our work.  We “decide” to do things differently.  We “learn” what was in the book we read.

But maybe we need to not read any other books; we need to not read the “next book;”  until we actually do what this last book we read encouraged/”taught” us to do.

Years ago, for a workshop on some subject or another, I adapted some thoughts from Peter Senge, and included these paragraphs in the handout material:

“The only job security is found in your own ability to keep learning!” (Peter Drucker)

“Through learning, we re-create ourselves.” (Peter Senge)

Learning leads to life style changes which lead to skills:
Learning is far more than taking in information.  “Learning is expanding the ability to produce the results we truly want in life.” (Peter Senge)

The ultimate learning disability:
“People with a high level of personal mastery are acutely aware of their ignorance, their incompetence, and their growth areas.” (Peter Senge)

When have you learned?

You have learned when you can do,
and then you actually do,
the skills that are needed to take your next step.

So – yes, I do encourage you to read that next business book.  This blog can help you find just the right title for your next areas of concern/growth/challenge.  But maybe the wisest course of action is this one:

1)    Read a book.
2)    Do/implement what it says; what you learned – until it is habit.
3)    Then, read the next book – and repeat the process.

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