How to Learn from Reading?

Learn Twice as Much in Half the Time

Knowledge isn't power; competence is power. (James C. Georges)

Everyone learns differently, and learning from reading is not the ideal method of learning for all people. However, reading is one of the most cost-effective ways of learning. It also allows you to choose your own materials & learn at your own pace. Most big companies and their consultants love to brag about what they do ("it's good PR"). Therefore, if you know how to read, for the mere price of a book you can learn from the best practices of the world's leading companies and benchmark your own performance against the best in the world. So whether or not reading is your preferred style of learning, make sure you are continually developing your reading skills.

There are two approaches to learning from reading. The first is to read something over and over and over until it becomes part of the way you think and part of the way you see the world. At that point you will naturally & automatically begin using the new ideas because you now see the world in those terms. The second approach-described in the six steps below-is more strategic & efficient insofar as it allows you to customize your learning plan to your own learning needs (you can of course use both approaches simultaneously):

Step 1: Read the book or article once to get a firm understanding of the central idea(s) and the way the author thinks-also to make sure the book is worthy of further investment of your time and effort.

Step 2: Read the book again to look for (and make note of) the most interesting or useful ideas. (When you get really good, you can combine steps 1 & 2 by marking the most interesting passages as you read.)

Step 3: Make a list of the most interesting or useful ideas, and prioritize them. Which ideas or skills will be most useful to your most important work objectives or career development goals? If you want, start with a few quick wins to generate some immediate results and build some momentum, and then tackle some more ambitious improvement projects.

Step 4: Take one or two of the most important ideas and map out a multi-step plan to test & implement the idea or learn the new skill. Make sure to use the new skills or test the ideas on your current projects whenever possible. Use the new ideas and new skills to help you tackle your critical business objectives and improve performance in your key result areas. Use the SMART goal format: your goal (or each step of your plan) should be Specific, Measurable (or observable), Achievable (challenging but realistic), Relevant (important), and Time-based (can set a deadline to it).

Step 5: Review your progress regularly (set deadlines or review dates), and readjust your goal or plan based on your progress, the situation, the reaction of others around you, etc.

Step 6: When you have been successful with your first project (i.e., when your first new idea has been successfully implemented, or your first new skill has become part of the way you do things), repeat Steps 4 & 5 with the next idea or two on your list of priorities. One good book can give you twenty ideas. As LeBoeuf says: "Choose only one new technique at a time and practice it for three weeks."

The six-step process above can be applied to many learning media: books, articles, videos, cassettes, workshops…

Summary: do one thing at a time; work on it until you've got it right; then move on to the next idea. Or in other words, set a goal; make a plan; review results; adjust plan… The "after action review" is a great tool to help you adjust & refine on the fly. As always, you get out of it what you put into it!