Reading for development

During conversations with friends and colleagues I often get asked about my reading. Questions such as why I enjoy the practice, how I benefit from it, and how I find 'the next book' are commonplace, but I'm also frequently asked for general reading tips; this is especially true of my non-fiction reading. So, here are my four main tips for non-fiction reading for personal and professional growth.
Firstly, read what challenges you. This could be a text that challenges your perceptions and understanding of a particular topic; a text that is intellectually challenging; or a text that presents a different perspective on something that is otherwise familiar. The importance of this is difficult to overstate. Reading can present us with new ideas that have a sudden and profound effect on our thinking. Equally, it can develop our understanding and broaden our world much more slowly, as a cumulative effect of continually exposing ourselves to new (to us) ideas. Additionally, the long-term health and cognition benefits of keeping mentally active are well-documented, and ensuring we remain mentally stimulated in this way contributes to this.
My second tip relates somewhat to my previous point about the cumulative benefits of a reading habit: reread what you think you know. Reading is a surprisingly interactive process. On the one hand, you have the message the author wanted to convey. On the other, you have the reader's interpretation of the author's message. A rich text has the potential to be interpreted in the context of the reader's knowledge, life experience, own perspectives, professional understanding, and previous learning. All of these things are affected by our circumstances and wider reading, which can in turn influence how we reinterpret a previously encountered text in a positive feedback/learning loop. Age and perspective play a significant role in what we glean from any piece of reading.
Most of the above can be applied to a lot of fiction as well as to good non-fiction, but I don't think it can be said of my next tip: read actionable books. That is, books that provide or equip you with new skills, thought processes, and perspectives that you are able to apply to your home or work life and that can be reflected upon (as per Kolb's learning cycle). Do some self-analysis to really understand those areas you feel you need to work on (the Johari window is a useful starting tool for this). Then do a little research on suitable books - using Chat GPT or Gemini to describe exactly what you are looking for and what you want to learn can be really useful here. Don't be led into reading only what's popular, just because it's popular. When time is limited and you are reading for a defined purpose, it's worth ensuring that what you're reading is helping you reach your goals. Just because a book is trending or is considered a classic doesn't mean it's relevant to your current learning goals.
My final tip is simply to say that, no matter what others may tell you, the format doesn't matter. There is still a lot of snobbery around books and audiobooks, with some people stuck on the idea that the latter somehow "doesn't count" as reading. Whether you're reading at home, listening on the commute, taking in a précis such as the very informative 'Introducing...' series, or working through a parable such as the "One Minute Manager" series, what matters is that you're learning and developing skills that can improve your life.

Footnote:
There is a caveat to this final point. I have occasionally used YouTube as a shortcut to get the feel and/or gist of a book before committing to a purchase. Many books in the management and personal development spheres are painfully thin on content, and it makes sense to research before parting with cash. There are some very good videos out there (I recently watched an English Lit video that gave me a new perspective on The Iliad), but be careful of book summary videos; what you are experiencing is someone else's summary and perspective; by all means, use these videos as a means of challenging your viewpoint, not as 'the answer.' Similarly, AI tools can be useful in summarising and processing information. But the tool is only as effective as how you choose to use it. There will be hidden biases in how the models process data, and as the end user, it is up to you to be alert and responsive to these. I personally use AI in several ways: to organize my ideas, as a line-editor/proof-reader, and to summarise non-fiction documents. For example, whilst listening to audiobooks, I always think about the ideas contained therein and how they apply to my situation. When home, I will use AI to produce a general summary of the key ideas in the book, then apply my thoughts to the points made in the book, helping me reflect on and internalise my learning. This will sometimes be the basis of my written reviews. To further enhance my learning, one thing I have got into the habit of doing is to describe my role, thoughts, and situation and feed the first draft of the review into the AI, then ask it for further ideas around how I can apply the book to my life/career. Although I don’t apply this second stage to my published book reviews, it can provide some interesting new ideas. 

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