Why Leaders Should Read Children’s Books

All leaders should read children’s books. Hear me out for a second:

Think of all the terrible leaders you’ve ever had. The screamers, the micro-managers, the non-people people…

Now think of all the great leaders you’ve had — the visionaries, the cheerleaders, and the strategists alike. What did they all have in common? They’d all mastered traits that made them more, well, human.

Those who wish to be great leaders are often hindered in their quest by information overload. Leadership books today give us complex insights into becoming great leaders. They include well researched graphs, charts and case studies. If the research is conclusive, why do we still have bad leaders?

Leadership is more art than science.

When you break great leadership down to its bare essentials, the simplest human traits make us great leaders. All of these traits can be learned not from books written for your everyday business professional, but from books written for kids.

Before you roll your eyes, I invite you to read and study these simple concepts, and ask yourself how often you’re genuinely incorporating similar principles when you’re tasked with leading.

Listen, Listen, and Keep Listening

“Try your best to understand the person speaking, and do so quietly.”

In Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns to Listen, by Howard Binkow, a young rabbit gets into a lot of trouble for not listening. His life improves dramatically when he decides to stop talking and start listening to others.

Steve Jobs once famously said that it makes no sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do. For years, leaders have nodded in agreement with this simple truth. Simon Sinek also has famous monologues on why leaders need to speak last.

This conventional wisdom, however, long predates Jobs. Children have been taught to listen for centuries. Leaders who do so make teams feel valued and respected, and make better decisions as a result of collective intellect.

Be a Team Member First

“You can’t stay in your corner of the forest, waiting for others to come to you; you have to go to them sometimes.”

An excerpt from Winnie the Pooh carries timeless wisdom. Nearly a century after its writing in 1926, the series is an example of how children’s books can carry advice for leaders.

Much like A.A. Milne writes in the Winnie the Pooh series, leaders must be a team member and participant first. Successful leaders lead by doing — they’re ‘down in the trenches’. Elon Musk sleeps on factory floors and Sheryl Sandberg makes a point to introduce herself to every new employee. The greatest leaders are team members that can guide.

Have a Clear Vision

“You will come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted, but mostly they’re darked. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can you win?”

Few books are packed with as much life advice as Dr. Seuss’ Oh The Places You’ll Go. This piece of wisdom reminds leaders that the path will not always be clear and the direction will not always be obvious.

It is up to leaders to light a path, and to be adaptable while pushing a team towards a common goal. They keep the team optimistic in times of hardship, knowing that obstacles are expected on any journey.

Takeaways

We often assume that people need to learn how to interact with others and have basic human decency when they are growing up. For some odd reason, we give up teaching these basic principles after adolescence.

The truth is, from an academic standpoint we assume that after ‘growing up’ everyone knows common courtesy and our time is better invested in learning matters that aren’t so trivial.

In reality, it is the most trivial, conventional, commonplace wisdom that is so uncommonly practiced. The greatest skills a leader can possess — albeit communication, listening, and teamwork — are the most commonly overlooked.

Our source for becoming kind, caring, optimistic individuals comes from children’s books, because the best leaders are those who know how to be the best human beings.

Author’s Note

There are millions of great pieces of advice we can take from the wonder of children’s books. Many other great leadership traits we are taught at a very young age and then forget. I genuinely recommend picking up a children’s book!

My passion is helping others learn public speaking and leadership and improving their self-confidence. This has driven me to found Learn to SpeakOut.

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