How to make your readings more productive

11:12 - 11:18

The more you care about other people's goals, the more power you gain as you acquire information from magazines, books and conversations.

Here's what I mean.

Suppose you only care about YOUR goal (which could be a career goal, such as "to become the best management consultant"). Then, as you read magazines and books and as you talk to people, you will only pay attention to information that is RELEVANT to your goal.

But if you cared about the goals of your friends, family, contacts, etc. then as you read magazines and books, you will tend to ALSO notice information that is relevant to THEIR goals.

For instance, you might come across information on how the global IT industry is being reshaped by the arrival of India as a major computing power in the world economy. You would then save that informatin so you can forward it to John, whose goal is to become an IT consultant.

In other words, the more you know about your friends' and allies' goals, the more productive your readings can be.

The key is to know precisely what goals your friends and allies have. This is not always easy. The majority of people do not have goals.

But the few ambitious people who have clear goals, are ideal career or business allies you want to have on your team, because you can help them and they can help you.