The Invisible Mentor Weekly Newsletter: Brain Food Wednesdays Number 78: What Does It Mean to Read Like a Leader?

Dear Reader,

When luminaries like Elon Musk and Mark Cuban want to find answers, or want to learn something, they go to books to find the answers. And this is what many other successful people do. If you do a search online you’ll find either a list of books that shaped their minds or books these leaders recommend that you read.

I pay attention to some of these leaders. For instance, I pay attention to Elon Musk, and I often conduct research to find out more about the way he reads and absorbs information. You don’t have to personally like these people, but study the traits they possess that can help you to grow and become a better person.

Musk has spoken extensively about the way he solves problems using a concept called first principles. I don’t understand the concept as well as I feel I should, so I bought a couple of books that explain the concept. I mention this because complex problem solving is usually one of the top skills the World Economic Forum says you need to thrive.

In the Ask Avil section of this newsletter I explore what it means to read like a leader. In my Facebook group Reading Rocks, I recorded a video explaining how to read to get the most from books. And it’s not simply about reading. It’s also about developing the habit of picking out big ideas. It’s also about synthesizing the information from the books you read.

Join Reading Rocks today! This training that I created will make a difference in your career and business.

Ask Avil

What Does It Mean to Read Books Like a Leader?

In many articles you read about luminaries, you’ll find information such as Bill Gates reading a book a week, Warren Buffett reading 500 pages a day. And the public gobbles up this information, because why wouldn’t you want to follow these leaders? Contrary to what’s being reported in the media, Steve Cunningham who created the service readitfor.me talked to millionaires and billionaires and discovered that these highly accomplished people seldom read all of a nonfiction book.

They dip into nonfiction books to find solutions to the problems they face. Yes they read to find answers to questions they have. Based on this insider information, Cunningham changed the service he offers to include this reality. This kind of reading I figured out for myself out of frustration. Most nonfiction books are much longer than they need to be. I felt like I was experiencing déjà vu when reading most nonfiction books. Haven’t I read this before, haven’t I read this before. I called this kind of reading selective reading, where you only read the sections of a book that satisfies your purpose.

However, recently I learned it’s also called leadership reading. In the book, Turn the Page by Chris Brady, he says that leaders read differently. They read to learn what they need to know. They search for answers to questions. To read for leadership requires you to think like a leader. They read to find truth and apply it to their lives.

Definition of Leadership Reading

“Leadership reading is reading with a bent toward making the page impact our lives. It is more than just pleasure, although it can be immensely enjoyable. It is more than reading a lot of books, although it will certainly take us through many volumes. Leadership reading is the active, intentional devouring of the greatest writings applied with earnestness toward the highest aspirations. It is a lifestyle habit that is open to everyone but taken advantage of by only a select few.”

Join my Facebook group reading rocks to access the training on how to read, so you read like a leader.

What I’m Reading

The past week, I’ve been focusing on books to help me to realize my full potential. I’ve read The New Raikov Effect and PhotoReading Whole Mind System. In the book, The New Raikov Effect, which is a part of a training program, you learn how to access the knowledge that a role model has. I’m still trying to master this one. The people I’m using as role models are Elon Musk and Paul Scheele.

I want to master the way that Elon Musk reads. But I was also thinking that by revisiting the PhotoReading Whole Mind System, I could use the creator, Paul Scheele, as a role model to learn his system. The reality is that I’ve gone through his program three to four times, and for some reason, I’m blocking some information, so it’s not landing for me. This time around, I’m using leadership reading to focus on the important sections of the PhotoReading book and manual.

But Ideally, I want to pair the two programs – New Raikov Effect and PhotoReading Whole Mind System – to realize my full potential in mastering the highest reading strategies. Therefore, my intent is to use the New Raikov effect to learn PhotoReading since the traditional way didn’t work for me.

Currently, I’m reading Future Mapping. I watched the video training, and started using the concept but nothing worked. What I discovered for myself is that I need to read the book first, before I attempt to use the technique. This is something I teach, yet for some reason it zipped right by me. I need to go back to the basics.

PhotoReading Whole Mind System

Maybe it’s just me, but I find this a tough concept to learn. I first read PhotoReading in 2009 and concluded that you need to actually take a course to master the technique. Since then, the technique has been updated. I bought the online course and have been through it three to four times, and as I’ve mentioned above, the technique is not landing for me.

Learning Strategies, the company Paul Scheele co-founded, offers the PhotoReading Whole Mind System. Last year, as a way to get more people trying the program, they offered part of the program for free with the hope that you’d sign-up for the program to experience the full program. Unfortunately for them, what they offered for free did not convince me to pay USD $700. It still wasn’t landing for me.

Some steps in this program are already in what I teach. In the PhotoReading Whole Mind System, there are five steps.

Prepare: Establish a clear purpose for reading and enter an ideal state of optimal learning.
Preview: Gain perspective on your reading material and their value to you.
PhotoRead: Use your brain’s natural ability to process information non-consciously. (This is where I start to resist the process even though I know better).
Postview: Build curiosity and stimulate your desire to learn.
Activate: Involve your whole brain to achieve comprehension and attain your reading goals.

To master this system I plan to use another system that I invested in.

The New Raikov Effect

You can tap into the skills of someone you admire and unleash your creative potential. You can improve any skill by using your imagination. The New Raikov Effect takes ideas from different practices such as neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and Putting on Heads. It’s a five-step process.

Step 1: Picture the genius you want to emulate. To do this you must know a bit about the person because you want to create a vivid picture of the person in your mind. For me, I picture Elon Musk reading because I want to master the way he reads and processes information.

Step 2: Swap heads with the person you want to emulate. Think about him or her standing in front of you, while thinking about the quality you want to absorb. Visualize them doing what they do and behaving the way they do. Slip their head over yours like a helmet.

Step 3: Act “as if” you’re that person. Think the way they think and feel the way they feel. Therefore, you really need to know things about the person you want to emulate. Imagine you’re performing the skill or activity you want to learn from the person. When the feeling intensifies and reaches a peak, it’s time to move to the next step.

Step 4: Create an anchor by pressing your thumb and forefinger together. This is a mental trigger to bring back the feeling at some point in the future.

Step 5: Act. Use the skill.

The Invisible Mentor Blog

The One Problem

I’ve mentioned The One Problem Series that I’ve been doing and it’s slowly getting traction. People are sharing the interviews on social media and some of them are now reaching out to me to interview them. I think that’s news worth sharing. The videos are short, so they’re easy enough to listen to.

Here are the Episodes that I’ve published on my blog so far. Listen to a few of them and let me know what you think.

Blog Series On Selective Reading

5 Common Reading Mistakes You Don’t Realize You’re Making

How I Came to Teach Professionals How to Read Selectively to Accelerate Their Business

5 Things You Never Knew about Reading Books

Before And After You Learn How to Read Selectively

Thinking About Investing in the Business Knowledge Accelerator Program?

Product Alert

7 Day Reading Makeover Challenge is a great product to start off with. You’ll learn how to read like a leader, as well as how to synthesize information.

7 Day Reading Makeover Challenge

Until Next Week,

Avil Beckford, Founder, The Invisible Mentor!

theinvisiblementor.com

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The Invisible Mentor Weekly Newsletter: Brain Food Wednesdays Number 78: What Does It Mean to Read Like a Leader?

​Join Reading Rocks today! This training that I created will make a difference in your career and business.

Ask Avil

​

What I’m Reading​

PhotoReading Whole Mind System​

The New Raikov Effect​