The Reading Leader’s Paradox – reading what drains them, rather than what develops them

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Thoughts and Ramblings

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I’ll admit the title is a bit provocative, but by the end of this piece, you’ll understand why it’s controversially true.

What is this text actually about?

It’s about what and how leaders read. We’ll look at why the famous study claiming six minutes of reading reduces stress by 68% doesn’t always work for executives. We’ll explore where this conviction comes from – that you either read for pleasure or to boost your professional knowledge – and why so few people see the “third way”. Finally, I’ll toss a new term your way… “systemic fiction”. And no, you won’t find that in a textbook. I’ve just made it up.

What do leaders claim when asked about reading?

When you ask people in high-level or high-responsibility positions if they read, you’ll usually get a slightly evasive answer: “Reading is vital for growth. Especially books related to my professional field, but the increase in responsibilities and workload means the time allocated for it is very limited.”
The takeaway? We know it would look good if we read a lot, but we simply lack the stamina. So, if we do pick something up, we choose something professional, albeit rarely. Novels? You must be joking. One doesn’t simply read novels.

How do priorities shift as the workload increases?

Leaders often point out that while reading is a theoretical priority, it frequently becomes a logistical challenge. Research by Lifeway Research indicates that when a leader’s calendar is packed to the rafters, reading is one of the first things to get the chop. The average leader doesn’t actually rank it that highly.
In reports from Polish National Library, professional work – alongside education – is cited as the primary motivation for reading. When the pressure starts to mount, the type of books changes first. People stop reading “light” books for pleasure and start reading specialist, career-related titles. But as the pressure continues to climb, even the number of those specialist reads begins to dwindle. Why? It’s actually quite simple – pragmatism beats idealism. We know reading is an investment in our development, but when faced with the prospect of doing it at the expense of sleep, we choose sleep. Or sometimes… sleep chooses us, as trying to read in the evening after an exhausting day usually ends in nodding off within two minutes.

And what do we see when we look at the reading habits of the most effective leaders?

The highest achievers (for instance, CEOs on the Fortune 500 list) read an average of 4–5 books a month. How on earth do they manage that? It’s not because they have more time, but because the task of “reading” is strictly pencilled into their daily or weekly schedule. They give reading high priority and don’t allow this slot to be bumped when things get hectic.
And what are they reading? Now, here’s an interesting bit. Among the most successful leaders, there is a tendency to frequently reach for titles that aren’t directly linked to their daily professional sphere. They look outside their “bubble” for inspiration, seeking new solutions and unconventional ideas in books written about fields they know nothing about – and sometimes, they look for the same in literary fiction. The habits of these high-performing leaders are often documented by those associated with McKinsey & Company, including Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra.

What did one study reveal about stress reduction methods?

In recent years, perhaps the most frequently cited study (my own side note – over the last few months, not a week goes by without me stumbling upon its findings in an article, podcast, or presentation; it’s quite extraordinary!) is research conducted by the University of Sussex, specifically Mindlab International. It indicates that reading is the most effective way to reduce stress, cutting it by a whopping 68% after just six minutes with a book. Remarkably, it works more efficiently than taking a walk or listening to music.
Have we found the Holy Grail of stress reduction, and such a user-friendly one at that? Well, yes and no – especially for those in high-level positions. Why? Because many leaders point to one specific problem – the sheer level of “information noise” they are subjected to. It is so high that entering the state of deep focus that a book requires is significantly harder for them. And herein lies the paradox – it would be much easier to relax and reach a high degree of engagement if the book were a novel. But of course, we don’t read novels because, for a leader, that’s a waste of time. Yet achieving that same focus with a technical book – full of data, definitions, and occasionally dry examples – is far more difficult. So, we don’t read what would relax us, because “no!” But we try to read what doesn’t relax us as much, because “yes!” In a moment, I’ll show you that it doesn’t have to be so black and white.

Why is it worth finding those six minutes – and not necessarily for a chapter of a self-help guide?

Let’s go back to the start of this text: “Novels? You must be joking. One doesn’t simply read novels.” When did you last hear someone in a high-ranking position discussing a latest novel with gusto and passion during a break in a business meeting? Better yet, doing it loudly and without a shred of shame for indulging in such “time-wasting” activities – on the contrary, viewing it as something admirable and worth emulating? If you have met such a person, find a way to network with them immediately, you can bet you’ve found an inspiring individual, perhaps even mentor. Why? Because these people doesn’t just read (investing in their growth); they read outside of specialist literature (meaning their inspirations are much broader, richer, and – crucially – less obvious and common). They likely read for more than six minutes a day (which means, consciously or not, they are lowering their stress levels; and I assure you, it’s usually very conscious, as these people know an evening reading session means winding down and better sleep than watching news channels or stock tickers). They know how to think and make decisions by considering not just hard data, but “soft” factors, too. They understand human psychology better; they can “read” employees, competitors, situations, and relationships on multiple levels – levels often inaccessible to those who rely solely on what is measurable and “textbook-standard.” Why? Because they typically read novels or biographies to “step into someone else’s shoes” in a safe environment – someone experiencing a crisis, leading a difficult team, dealing with limited resources, or facing a tough but potentially lucrative decision. They read, they draw conclusions, they find inspiration, they learn what to do and, just as often, what not to do.

You don’t read novels, you read “systemic fiction”!

Can a person in a high-ranking position, facing shrinking resources, an uncertain environment, and increasingly aggressive competition, find inspiration in the biography of an archaeologist? I highly recommend it! Take one of the most famous – Howard Carter. Funded by Lord Carnarvon, a passionate Egyptologist, but let’s be clear, the money isn’t really the Lord’s. It comes from his wife’s dowry, and she doesn’t let him forget it, so one must smile just as broadly at the lady of the house to keep the resources flowing. Excavation permits are a form of roulette involving representatives from many nations, and they play dirty. The Lord expects results because an excavation season without a spectacular success is a season wasted. In Egypt, the local workforce is… varied; while you can rely on trusted local foremen, they aren’t the ones answering to the authorities and the Lord when things go south. Does that sound familiar to any leader? This is exactly why I recommend reading about how Carter managed. You might just find a very unconventional way to solve your own problems.

And did you know which novel is considered the unofficial bible for those managing under the harsh conditions of insufficient resources? Frank Herbert’s “Dune”! It’s a treatise on the mechanisms of power, the traps of charisma, and management under extreme resource scarcity – but also on effective long-term planning and the vital importance of adaptation and flexibility.

And what do management students say about Orson Scott Card’s “Ender’s Game”? That you could easily replace a textbook on the foundations of organisational behaviour with this novel, and far more would actually stick in your mind than after reading dry definitions and uninspired examples.

Which brings us back to those six minutes of reading – specifically, six minutes for leaders. It is easier to reduce stress when we read literary fiction or popular novels because we fall into these texts faster, allowing our minds to rest. And reaching for them doesn’t mean we’re wasting time or that our reading of “serious, self-help material” suffers. As you can see from these three off-the-cuff examples, if you shift your approach to novels and start drawing conclusions about people, relationships, institutional dynamics, psychology, sociology, courage, and risk… I could go on forever – it turns out they directly impact the kind of leader you are and how you operate every day.

So, if you’re ever enthusiastically explaining that you’ve just finished the latest James Patterson thriller, and before you can even mention what it taught you about the human tendency for excessive risk-taking, your listener patronisingly scoffs: “Really? You waste your time on thrillers?” Just tell them this: “In the world of truly effective leaders, this isn’t just reading a thriller. It’s reading systemic fiction. But you have to know how to draw conclusions from it, and that’s the real masterclass. Give it a go, you won’t regret it!”

That is what I’ll be nudging you toward – reading “systemic fiction”*** (and here, imagine me giving you a very pointed wink).

Aga J. Mackiewicz

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