I’ve been an avid reader of fiction ever since my parents taught me how to sound out my very first words in my favourite childhood books.
Forty-plus years later, I consider that habit to be not just one of the great joys in my life, but also one of the pillars of my leadership practice. And yet, I get some sidelong glances from some leaders who aren’t convinced there’s any value in fiction books.
First things first: Why leaders aren't reading fiction
I get it. We’re all busy. Like, BUSY! Who’s got time to bury their nose in a book that doesn’t directly relate to finance, marketing, management, or the future your industry given the rise of AI?
Some of the other reasons I hear from leaders, beyond being busy, are:
- I don’t see the point – it’s just a made-up story (aka non-fiction is better)
- I don’t enjoy the physical act of reading [whether that’s to do with different brain wiring, or feeling fidgety, or something else]
- I can’t find anything I like to read
- Books are too expensive
Each of those reasons make perfect sense on the surface, but I don’t reckon that any of them have to be show-stoppers. More about that in a minute – but first, let’s talk about why fiction should be on leaders’ bookshelves and in their hands.
Why leaders should be reading fiction
There are a raft of reasons why I believe EVERYONE should be reading fiction. And there are some very specific reasons for leaders to read fiction, especially if it’s outside their usual reading comfort zone.
Here are just a few reasons:
- It can be a great way to give your mind a break by shifting your focus off work (especially helpful if you tend to ruminate on work things in your downtime).
- If you read something that tickles your funny bone, you’ll juice up your happy hormones (bonus points if you share the chuckle with someone else), which helps you manage and recover from stress more effectively.
- Re-reading beloved books from childhood and adolescence can be a fun trip down memory lane and reconnect you with your younger self (who, by the way, is incredibly proud of who you’ve become).
- It can help you hone your empathy and ability to see the world from multiple perspectives (vital for leaders).
- Reading good writing makes you a better writer and storyteller. As a leader, a huge part of your role is to persuade and influence others. Reading more fiction will help with that. You’ll be exposed to good writing and storytelling (especially if you include classics), and that will influence how you write and tell stories.
- It gives you something to talk about other than work – and your staff, colleagues, and people you meet at networking events will probably be grateful!
This might be the most important benefit of all
Here’s one last benefit you might not have thought of: Reading fiction can help you to thrive, personally and professionally.
Fiction takes us from the concrete here-and-now into a world created by the author, and populated by characters who may be very different to us. Just like watching a play in a theatre, we get to see the world from a different perspective, and engage in make-believe as we fill in the blanks between the author’s words (or the actors’ performance) to create a complete mental picture of the imaginary world. Fiction is a form of play for our mind.
And play is a vital component of our wellbeing. Stuart Brown, founder of the National Institute of Play, has researched the benefits of play for many years. Here are some of the things he’s discovered:
- Lower levels of play are linked to inflexibility, lack of empathy, poor impulse control, and even depression.
- Higher levels of play are linked to positive mood, stronger relationships, higher levels of creativity and innovation in problem-solving.
How to overcome your reading challenges
Hopefully I’ve convinced you that it’s worthwhile to up your fiction-reading game! Let’s go back to the original list of reading “objections” that I often hear.
There's no point/it's all made up
Spot on – fiction is made up (see my point about play above). But pretty much everything in our lives is made up!
Language is something we invented. Business is something we invented. History is an invention too – because it’s typically written by the victors, so it tends to a) paint them in a good light, b) paint their enemies in a bad light, c) leave out all sorts of important information, and d) contain some completely made-up nonsense because not everything that is published is appropriately fact-checked (sometimes deliberately so).
One of the most powerful aspects of fiction is that it allows us to explore what it is to be human in alternative contexts, thanks to the author and/or characters having different life experiences to us. That could be someone who was born in a different period in history or place in the world (e.g. anything by Edward Rutherfurd, or historical fiction like ‘The Women’ by Kristin Hannah), or travels through time (à la ‘The Sound of Thunder’ by Ray Bradbury, or ‘Outlander’ by Diana Gabaldon). It could be a character who is in this world but not like us (such as an alien in Matt Haig’s ‘The Humans’ or a dog in ‘The Art of Racing in the Rain’ by Garth Stein), or take place in a completely different universe (I’m looking at you, sci-fi, fantasy, and multiverse tales).
Fiction helps us hone and expand our empathy because it helps us see life and relationships through a variety of perspectives. That’s a powerful capability for leaders, especially as our workplaces and customer bases become increasingly diverse, fractured, and varied.
In essence, fiction helps us to see the real world more clearly.
I don't physically enjoy reading
There are a whole range of reasons why reading may be physically uncomfortable or difficult. Beyond obvious things like where you’re sitting, the lighting, whether you need corrective lenses etc, there may be differences in your brain wiring (whether dyslexia, ADHD, or something else) or physical state that makes sitting still and reading for any length of time uncomfortable or difficult.
My favourite tactics here are audiobooks, “reading plus”, and “snack reading”.
I always have an audiobook queued up on my phone, so that when I’m cooking dinner, washing the dishes, hanging out the washing etc, I can have someone (or sometimes a cast of someones) read a book to me. It takes me back to childhood, when one of my favourite things was to have a grown-up read a book to me.
Reading plus is when you combine reading with another activity where you don’t need to use your conscious brain in any significant way, for example, patting a pet, exercising on a treadmill or stationery bike, or, in my case, knitting. It’s brilliant if you find yourself getting fidgety if you sit still for too long. (I have also been known to read while brushing my teeth – it’s another couple of minutes of reading squeezed into the day!)
Snack reading is when, rather than sitting down to read for an extended period (like you would to eat a full meal), you read in a short burst, like grabbing a snack on the run. Read one or two pages, then move on to your next task. Do that a couple of times a day, and you’ll be surprised at how much reading you get done.
I can't find anything I like to read
If you haven’t read fiction for a while, it’s understandable that you might not have go-to authors or topics. If that’s you, then try:
- Your local library. Not only will they have displays of books, often with theme weeks or months, but librarians are magicians when it comes to finding books that will capture your attention.
- Goodreads. Browse categories, read reviews, follow authors, see what your friends are reading, and track your own reading (this is how I track what I’m reading, look for trends in what I like/don’t like, and find out what others are loving and loathing).
- Reading groups/accounts on social media. I follow a couple of book groups on Facebook, and the recommendations have nudged me to read things I never otherwise would have. And I’ve found some new favourite authors, books, and styles of writing that way.
- Reading challenges. One of my favourites is the Popsugar annual challenge, because it doesn’t tell you specific books to read, but instead gives prompts like ‘A book with something broken on the cover’ or ‘A book published 20 years before you were born’, or ‘The first book your hand touches on a library shelf’. This has been another brilliant way to find new-to-me authors and books (and yes, I’ve read a couple of books I’ve really disliked too! But even that is helpful for working out where to focus your reading efforts.)
- Your friends. Ask friends, family members, and colleagues what they’re reading. You won’t like everything they suggest, but even if you hate a book, that can make for a great conversation!
Books are too expensive
I hear you! Books are expensive. And I say that as an author who wants people to shell out their hard-earned cash to buy my book (get all the deets here).
Most authors don’t make squillions – the majority of the money goes to publishing houses, printers, and book distributors/stores.
But you don’t always have to buy new. Hunt for bargains in your local second-hand bookstore. Check around your suburb for Little Free Libraries or community book drops. Keep an eye out for book fairs – they’re often held by service clubs like Rotary, or local schools and community groups. Swap books with friends or colleagues at work. Use your local library – and if they don’t have the book you want in their catalogue, most libraries have a “suggest we buy it” process.
I'm not the only one encouraging leaders to read fiction
I was part-way through the draft of this post when I opened my inbox and found an email from Adam Grant, titled ‘The Case for Reading Fiction’ (read it on his Substack here). Great minds think alike?
Grant says he loved reading fiction as a kid, but as an adult, he assumed that non-fiction was the best way to learn. More recently he’s learned that’s not the case. Here are a few of the benefits he’s learned about:
- Research shows that reading fiction helps us gain insight into other people’s thoughts, feelings, and motives.
- Reading novels boost concern for and understanding of others more than watching TV and movies.
- As we read, we are invited to imagine ourselves as the characters, which builds our capacity to see from different perspectives, and feel compassion for people who aren’t like us.
Articles from places like Forbes and Harvard Business Review also speak of the benefits of fiction for leaders.
I also love this post and podcast episode from my friend and colleague Katie Quinney on five reasons for healthcare leaders to read fiction.
Are you going to read more fiction?
We’ve covered why reading fiction is good, especially for leaders, and how to overcome some common issues that prevent people from reading.
But nothing changes if nothing changes – so, are you going to read more fiction?
If the answer is yes, take a moment to make a commitment to yourself to pick up a fiction book sometime in the next 24 hours.
Then, set a goal number of pages to read (or minutes to listen to, if you’re doing an audiobook) each day – as long as the number is bigger than zero, you’ll make progress.
And even if you don’t hit the bullseye every day, you’ll still be reaping the benefits for every page or minute you are reading.
