(This article, the first of a five part series, was written in 2023 and posted on my LinkedIn page, here.)
The text in the image on top of this article reads: Production schedule, Travel plans, Boss Calls, Old guy is asleep, 50 page report, Blog piece written by content agency, 3 long emails, A translation of your gyan to train strangers. (Not strangers in a train.) Website content draft # 3, Long email, 5 page review, Your colleague got their dog to office, New guy quits, Meeting.
Who is this for?
This is for people who don’t like reading.
It’s okay to not like reading.
If you’re done with school and college and your work involves things such as thinking, talking, strategy, planning, sales, behaviour change or supervising the production line, it is possible that reading is not a part of your daily to-do’s.
It is true though, that for many people, reading and writing is an indirect part of earning a living.
So it is also not okay, to not like reading. (These double negatives are a pain.)
Reading at work.
What kind of a reader are you? Have you ever:-
· looked at a 5 or a 50 page report you needed to read and put it away to make a coffee, a phone call, or an omelette?
· scrolled through 280 character tweets and 90 second Instagram reels to feel better instantly?
· left the report reading for the last possible minute and asked for an extension – just to read it? And cried all the way back to your laptop?
· made a mistake because you didn’t know something you should have read up on?
Why does this post exist?
This is a series of short articles written to support professionals, across sectors, and across job functions and levels who must read, but avoid it.
Reading is often a part of making decisions based on another person’s offerings and experiences along with your own.
3 reasons to get comfortable with #reading are:
- Giving the other person a chance to share what they know.
- A sort of team work, sometimes with team members you have never met, and will never meet.
- Studying, learning, evaluating, deconstructing, assessing, proving that you understand what you’re talking about.
Take a deep breath in through your nose.
Close your eyes and count to 3.
Exhale through your mouth, and open your eyes.
Next: Where do I begin?
