Do Something! Read about great leaders

I know what you're thinking -- you're too busy to read, you can't remember the last time you read a book, by the time you get home from work, you can't imagine spending more time looking at words, and you'd never have a chance to get to the library or the bookstore anyway. I know all of the excuses, and I've used most of them myself.

But the fact of the matter is that the most successful people in the world all say that reading is a key component to their success - especially reading about great leaders, whether they're leaders in business, politics, sports, etc. And they don't limit themselves to reading just about their own industry. Much success has come from taking what works in one sector and applying it to another.

Andy Andrews, one of the great speakers I was privileged to see at this year's Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel summer meeting, ties his success directly to reading biographies of great historical figures and extrapolating the common factors in each of their lives that made them great.

Do yourself a favor - get to the library or your local bookstore and pick up a book by or about a great leader and see what lessons you can learn and apply to your practice.

Don't have time to get to the store? Shop at Amazon.com or another online outlet.

Don't think you have time to read? Most books come in audio format - listen during your commute, while waiting in the doctor's office, during your workout or while you're making dinner.