Why every leader should be writing

photo credit: Israel Andrade

If you are the boss, the CEO, the president, the business owner, the executive director, the person the buck stops with, then you might want to heed this advice: you should be writing.

Arguably it could be the most important facet of your leadership. Here’s a bulleted list of why:

• Your people want to hear from you – not just at the quarterly meeting or when things are getting tense. They want insights based on your years of experience, miles on the odometer, your wins and losses, your relatable stories of what they are challenged with right now.

• Your people want to know what’s working and what’s not, what the plan is and what direction the company is headed. Don’t assume they know this or will remember it. Remind them regularly.

• If your company’s mission, vision, and values aren’t well known, or if they don’t sound like you, or reflect how you lead or where your organization is going, it’s your responsibility to consciously connect the dots or redraw the lines so people get it. This is foundational to your writing and messaging. 

• It is a way to crystalize your thinking before you start communicating. Bullet points have their purpose, at the right times and venues, but they are not a substitute for writing with intention or communicating specifics.  

• You will  have a record of your messaging and what was shared; a written reminder of what has – and hasn’t – been said.

• You will be sharing stories (making you more relatable) instead of regurgitating talking points (making you come across as unauthentic). 

• You provide important perspective to data, trends, successes, and where things fell short.

• It gets what is in your head onto paper or screen where you can refine your thinking. Because your first draft isn’t your final draft.

• You begin articulating what you believe about business, leadership and success based on real-life trial and error, not someone else’s that is captured in a book.

• By communicating, first in writing, and then finding additional ways to bring those stories to life, you are consciously setting and reinforcing the culture. 

• Because every business challenge is first a communication challenge, and open communication cures many ills.

• Because bad news never ages well, and the grapevine distorts reality.   

• You will cast a shadow of what good leadership looks like by sharing deeper insights, plans and priorities.

• You will be building the archive; leaving a legacy and a blueprint. And you will be more attuned to the passing of time and the inevitable passing of the baton when the time comes (and it always comes).

WHAT THIS FORM OF WRITING IS… AND ISN’T.

This isn’t thought leadership or convincing existing customers and prospects that you have the pulse or unique perspectives on business. That is an entirely different endeavor, and something you might consider as well.

This is internal communication, the most urgent of business communication.

It is a function that might not exist or is relegated to a communications team without your regular input.

This is culture building by the chief culture officer – you.

This is the priority you might never have considered your priority.

This should be happening already. If not, you can start now.

If you don’t know how to start, let’s talk, and then start writing.

If you are already writing, make sure you have a person you trust to challenge, question, push you and, perhaps most importantly, call your bluff when necessary.

Bounce ideas off them. Determine what sticks and what doesn’t. Decide what’s worth committing to type and then sharing with others in various formats.

Because writing isn’t as easy as it sounds, and can come across in ways you never intended without a good edit.  

Even if you don’t see yourself as the writing kind, there are ways to get your ideas to paper/screen. But you must convey them out. Look at them. Chew on them. Own them.

Your people will thank you. The next generation of the business will thank you.

And you will have zero regrets articulating what mattered most during your time leading the people who helped propel the business forward. It is what success looks like when your team believes in, and acts upon, what you’ve chosen to share.

Thoughtful leadership requires more of this overlooked habit

“I don't have time to read – I’m too busy.”

For years I’d hear that kind of a remark from a leader and assume I had no idea the kind of pressure they were under. Being none the wiser, I would give them a pass. After all, it is hard to make time for something that isn’t a priority.

Today I know better.

I get that some people don’t enjoy reading and that it feels like more work on top of the work they already must do. But keep reading (or stick with me through this post). It doesn’t have to be drudgery, and I believe it can become a priority if we focus less on the act of reading and instead look to outcomes reading presents.

Recently, James Clear shared this thought on the value of reading and it struck a chord:

"Reading is like a software update for your brain. 

Whenever you learn a new concept or idea, the "software" improves. You download new features and fix old bugs."

That should push us to think about how many “old bugs” we have that need fixing, as well as how many new ideas that could be of real benefit if we’re open and curious enough. 

Now imagine the leader of your organization working on Windows 98, using a decade-old Blackberry, and sending email from an AOL account. They’ve signaled that these tools are necessary if not important, but refused relevant updates for their tools, processes and practices to advance the business. 

Processing new information, and then applying that which is useful or helpful, is in part the art of remaining relevant — and we need our leaders to be relevant leaders who know where to guide us and our organizations. 

Looking back, I can pinpoint which leaders and mentors of mine were avid readers and curious thinkers, in part because we talked about books and new ideas. It shaped my thinking and encouraged me to dig in and dig deeper.

Conversely, I am also reminded of those whose leadership style was less about curiosity, innovation and new ideas. Instead they held fiercely to rigid views and a “this is how we (meaning you) do it” mentality.  

Still think you don't have time to read?

In the last three years I've nearly tripled the amount of books (ideas) I consume. Like you, I’m still the same busy human — running a business, raising a family, and being pulled and distracted in multiple directions. My consumption of deeper content (vs. social scanning and intermittent browsing) has grown by listening to books — in the car, while exercising or walking the dog. This is not a new idea, but I was slow to adopt it. But I’m choosing to steal back some of that lost time, reclaim bits and pieces of it, while also leaving enough margin to think and also unclutter the mind.

Last year, I completed 71 books. It wasn't a chore. Only a third of the titles were overtly about business. I track them not to “keep score” but simply to remind me of what I’ve read and what I might want to revisit. A log also reminds me if I’m active in my reading and if I’m getting derailed.

I'm continuing to gain perspective on things and people that I was previously ignorant about (software update). And no doubt I'm thinking differently and more broadly than I did just a handful of years ago. My curiosity quotient continues to rise.

Further, a diverse selection of reading material can open us up to becoming more empathetic and aware of those around us. But it requires us to humbly approach new ideas, different perspectives, and unique voices with an “I don’t know what I don’t know” attitude. Although this HBR article isn’t a recent one, it’s still relevant. And it’s comforting to know we’re in good company as we embrace this critical leadership habit.

We owe this kind of upgraded thinking and curiosity to our clients and colleagues, family and friends. We also owe it to ourselves. And it’s as easy as opening a book or pushing play on an audio version.  

So to all busy leaders and those who aspire to lead others: read to learn, read for enjoyment, but also read to lead. There’s no doubt that you, and those around you, will see the benefits of being not just well read, but more engaged and curious in contrast to that time when you didn’t have time to read.