What Do Your Predilections Say About You?

I'm addicted to books.

Even when I’m doing research, I don’t start with Google; I start with the books on my shelf or my local library.

I love the feel, the smell, the weight, and the tangibility of a physical book. My books contain the threads and springboards I connect with, and they’re bound to lead me to new threads and springboards.

A few weeks back, I took a look at my online wish list. When I saw 122 titles listed, I decided it was time to do a little purging. That said, I didn’t feel comfortable just hitting "delete" arbitrarily, so I cross-referenced my list with the local public library and checked out 40 books in an effort to make an “educated delete choice.”

It’s okay to judge me.

After all, when I shared this approach with my husband, love him, he just shook his head in disbelief.

Still, I’m reminded of what good guy Michael Hyatt once wrote:

“A readership crisis is really a leadership crisis . . . If you want to lead, you simply must read. It’s one of the surest ways to develop the qualities that will make you stand out and simultaneously equip you to lead as your influence grows.” 

Michael’s insight hits me where I live. My little project revealed a “crisis.”

How can I make better choices?

How can I focus my learning on the things that matter most (to me and my relationships with clients, family, and friends)?

And, while I’m at it, how can I evaluate my own behaviors, challenge my beliefs, and, ahem, grow my style?

So, what do your reading predilections imply about your desires and capacity for learning?

What are you reading, and how are you growing and developing yourself as a leader with books? What’s on your wish list?