I don’t read many business books anymore
I see them as just slightly new takes on age old topics.
Yes- we need to keep these topics relevant. But after a couple hundred books and podcasts about books, I kind of get it already.
I prefer to read poetry, fiction, essays and biographies. I’m more of an artist, alchemist and creative in this respect. I like to see how the actual world sheds light on the business topics I’ve learned about over 2 decades.
How do I think about accountability when I’m walking through a museum? What does innovation look like in a well written novel?
I often work with clients who take immense pride in how many business podcasts and books they read every month. Nothing gets past them.
I usually ask them to take a break.
Walk, drive and sit in silence.
Sing in the shower.
Go down a science fiction brain bender over the weekend.
See how this ignites your creativity and allows you to truly see the work in front of you.
We don’t usually need new ideas. We need space. We need space to act on a few of the 4,000 wonderful ideas we have heard and read over our lifespans.
Why do we consume so much content on the same topic?
FOMO, dopamine, immediate access to our phones, fear of a quiet mind. We are wired to want more and more and more. And the internet provides.
Mindfulness is a word you either love or hate. It’s woo. It’s hippy dippy.
But this is how we can practice simple mindfulness in our businesses.
Pause. Think deeply about the concepts in the podcast you just heard. Explore how they may be relevant today or in the future. Create a personal philosophy on the concepts. Do you agree/ vehemently disagree? Why? What deep lessons lurk underneath the surface about this topic.
When you allow for white space, how does this topic reemerge throughout the day when expanded by nature or music?
This is mindfulness.
This is one way we become innovators and conscious, modern leaders.
