For a long season of years I flew so frequently that I could almost always fly business or first class with my accumulated miles. I paid close attention to what other business travelers were reading. There was the occasional person reading a trendy business book, but most of them were reading history, biography, and spiritual content. I’m convinced that these business leaders had come to realize that others in their organization would figure out the tactical and technical details. Their job required assessing the big picture, multiple contexts and possible scenarios, and dealing with people. That’s why they were studying history, biography, and spiritual books.
I especially recommend biographies. It’s one of the easiest ways to learn history, too. You get to see how someone else handled difficult situations and difficult people. You can see how someone else grew through adversity, and what remained a stumbling block for them. You are reminded that you’re not the first or only person in your situation. Some people become virtual mentors for you.
Biographies are a complementary tool to Google searches and ChatGPT for leadership questions.
