Read Your Way to Success: Unlock Your Potential Through the Written Word

How to Grow as a Marketing and Sales Leader Through Story

A Little Free Library. It's a blue box with a small roof shaped like a house. Behind panes of glass, many different types of books are displayed.

"How to Win Friends and Influence People." "The Lean Startup." "Hooked."

Maybe a dose of "The 4-Hour Work Week."

What are you reading? (And if the answer is "nothing," I've got tips for you.)

Literature can provide a lot of helpful advice, especially for marketing and sales leaders. They expose us to new ideas, teach us the latest strategies and tactics, and demonstrably improve our ability to empathize and connect with others. The great leaders of our age, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, and Oprah Winfrey, all swear by their reading habits.

"Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers."

President Harry S. Truman

Plus, they provide a much-needed escape from the day-to-day.

Yet, it's easy to get caught up in the daily grind, melting into the couch watching Netflix rather than reading a good book. But making the time to read offers us the wisdom of the best minds in business, culture, and science. It helps us learn and grow as professionals.

And, if you're like me, you find it quite fun. (I read 57 books in 2022. Obviously, I enjoy it.)

Here are just a few ways that reading can help you succeed personally and professionally:

Pivot your career: Books and audiobooks can deliver a solid foundation of knowledge in a new industry.

Learn and grow: Reading introduces you to new ideas and perspectives you might not otherwise encounter.

Expand your mind: Exploring a wide range of subjects will make you a more well-rounded person – able to chat, network, and connect with others.

Find something that interests you and take some time to relax – and no, it doesn't have to be a jargon-heavy business bible. A good book can be a needed distraction from the daily grind. (And, what do you know, a little brain vaca helps us become more creative.) You'll come back refreshed and ready to tackle whatever challenges your life throws at you.

The benefits of reading for sales and marketing leaders

Whether it's books, magazines, or industry blogs, staying on top of the latest trends and thought leadership pieces is critical in sales and marketing. Reading provides timely insights on customer preferences, emerging technologies, regulatory changes, and more. It can help marketers identify opportunities to innovate and stay one step ahead of the competition. And it can offer new lead nurturing and negotiation tactics to sales pros.

As a leader, a reading or listening habit helps you build empathy and develop new strategies. Check out biographies of inspirational business figures, books about leadership and collaboration, and niche-specific case studies that provide valuable insights on marketing strategies and tactics.

Staying abreast of the latest industry trends and ideas is no easy task. Your competitors are just as busy as you are. Building a good reading habit can be your competitive edge, staying two steps ahead with the latest in industry knowledge and marketing/sales tactics.

"U.S. adults are reading roughly two or three fewer books per year than they did between 2001 and 2016."

How to find the time to read

If you can't spare a few moments for literary rejuvenation, don't worry! There are plenty of ways to make time for a page-turner or two. Baking bread? Why not read a chapter while your dough rests? Going for a bike ride or hitting the treadmill? Download an audiobook. (Or, if you're like me, you'll walk around reading and completely neglecting what you're supposed to be doing.)

Read a few books at a time. Currently, I’m reading a book on entrepreneurship and one about a group of thieves in fantasy Venice. They each serve a purpose. Sometimes, I want to learn – and sometimes, I want a nice romp through the canals.

Grab an e-reader if you don’t like hauling hardbacks around. With a connection to your library with Libby or Overdrive, you can have a book downloaded and ready to go between sips of coffee.

Finally, don’t be afraid to quit. If a novel isn't interesting, put it back on the shelf. Life is too short – and there are so many good books out there that you can read instead.

Pro-Tip: Create a specific space for reading – a favorite chair or a small reading nook.

How books can help you stay ahead of the curve in your industry

If you're not reading, you're falling behind. That's the simple truth for marketing leaders who want to stay ahead of the curve in their industry. By dedicating just a few hours per week to reading, you can keep your finger on the pulse of what's happening in marketing and beyond. But with so many books available, it can take time to figure out where to start. This is why we've compiled a list of five essential reads for marketing leaders, complete with tips on how to get more out of each book.

So check out my list, crack open a good book, and start exercising your brain.

The Books of 2022

Top 3 Non-Fiction:

  1. Electrify: An Optimist's Playbook for Our Clean Energy Future - Saul Griffith

  2. Phishing for Phools - George A. Akerlof & Robert J. Shiller

  3. Thinking Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman

Top 3 Fiction:

  1. A Memory Called Empire - Arkady Martine

  2. The Burning God - R. F. Kuang

  3. City of Blades - Robert Jackson Bennett

Full List:

Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience - Brené Brown

Going Postal - Terry Pratchett

Hogfather - Terry Pratchett

The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents - Terry Pratchett

Triumff - Dan Abnett

Hercule Poirot’s Christmas - Agatha Christie

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life - Mark Manson

Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds - David Goggins

Tales of Nevèrÿon - Samuel R. Delany

Ocean’s Echo - Everina Maxwell

Winter’s Orbit - Everina Maxwell

A Closed and Common Orbit - Becky Chambers

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet - Becky Chambers

A Master of Djinn - P. Djèlí Clark

The Tyrant’s Tomb - Rick Riordan

The Burning Maze - Rick Riordan

Climate Crisis and the Global Green New Deal: The Political Economy of Saving the Planet - Noam Chomsky & Robert Pollin

Empire of Sand - Tasha Suri

Fevered Star - Rebecca Roanhorse

City of Miracles - Robert Jackson Bennett

City of Blades - Robert Jackson Bennett

Locklands - Robert Jackson Bennett

Shorefall - Robert Jackson Bennett

Spelljammer: Adventures in Space - Wizards of the Coast

The Burning God - R. F. Kuang

The Churn - James S. A. Corey

Drive - James S. A. Corey

Caliban’s War - James S. A. Corey

Leviathan Wakes - James S. A. Corey

D: A Tale of Two Worlds - Michel Faber

The Doctor - C. S. Poe

A Marvellous Light - Freya Marske

The Man Who Planted Trees - Jean Giono

You Are the Brand - Steve Adubato

Electrify: An Optimist's Playbook for Our Clean Energy Future - Saul Griffith

A Desolation Called Peace - Arkady Martine

A Memory Called Empire - Arkady Martine

Doctor Strange by Aaron & Bachalo Omnibus - Jason Aaron, Kathryn Immonen, Chris Bachalo (Visual Art), Kevin Nowlan (Visual Art), Leonardo Romero (Visual Art), & Frazer Irving (Visual Art)

House of M - Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Olivier Coipel (Penciler), Sergio Miranda (Translator), Tim Townsend (Inker), Rick Magyar (Inker), Fernando Lopes (Translator), John Dell (Inker), Scott Hanna (Inker), Frank D'Armata (Colourist), & Chris Eliopoulos (Letterer)

The Rise of the Moon - Stephen Hunt

Thinking Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman

Son of the Storm - Suyi Davies Okungbowa

The First Sister - Linden A. Lewis

The Killing Moon - N. K. Jemisen

The Shadowed Sun - N. K. Jemisen

Best Served Cold - Joe Abercrombie

Neuromancer - William Gibson

Phishing for Phools - George A. Akerlof & Robert J. Shiller

Rule of Wolves - Leigh Bardugo

King of Scars - Leigh Bardugo

Crooked Kingdom - Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo

Essentialism - Greg McKeown

Who Not How: The Formula to Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork - Dan Sullivan & Benjamin P. Hardy

Business for Punks: Break All the Rules—the BrewDog Way - James Watt

The Fall of Hyperion - Dan Simmons

How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need - Bill Gates


Still with me?

Whew. That’s a lot of books.

For my favorite stories and nonfiction, check out my year in books for 2021, 2020, 2019, and 2018.

And if you’d like to nerd out with a real bookworm, hit me up on Twitter or LinkedIn.


*Interesting digression on this point. Per Gallup, "The decline is not because fewer Americans are reading at all -- a percentage that has held steady at 17% -- but because Americans who do read are reading fewer books."

Remote WorkTom Basgil