4 Reasons Leaders Benefit from Reading Fiction

All my life I’ve heard the phrase, “leaders are readers.”

I don’t have to be convinced of its truth. I love to read. It doesn’t matter the subject matter, genre, date of publication – I will pretty much pick up anything. It’s my go-to activity when I have a little free time.  

When I think about reading to improve my leadership effectiveness, I often gravitate toward business books, self-help, or books with leadership-specific topics. I don’t often think of fiction as a means to improve my leadership abilities. However, after recently reading a particularly good fiction book, I was struck with how much there was for a leader to learn in it.  

Here are a few reasons why reading fiction is beneficial for leaders: 

1. Builds Empathy – A recent study by Keith Oatley, a novelist and professor emeritus of cognitive psychology at the University of Toronto, shows that reading fiction helps us become better at understanding others and their situations. It gives us a peek into the lives and circumstances of people we may never encounter in our day-to-day lives. Some describe empathy as the glue that holds a society together, and it’s an essential component of becoming a leader worth following.
2. We’re More Alike Than We Realize – I might think I have nothing in common with someone raised in poverty on the other side of the world, or someone with polar opposite political persuasions. But, after reading about and getting inside the minds of these kinds of characters, I begin to see their internal struggles and challenges are not all that different from mine. Understanding this helps me learn to inquire more about other perspectives instead of solely advocating for my own perspective – a critical part of effective leadership. Finding commonality gives us a sharper ability to understand people’s motivations.
3. Promotes Critical Thinking – Reading fiction exercises a different part of our brain than what we use on a normal basis. The challenges faced by characters force the reader to ponder complex questions, examine differing perspectives, think creatively, and keep an open mind while processing new information.
4. Reduces Stress – In a study conducted by the University of Sussex, individuals who read for at least six minutes exhibited slower heart rates, less muscle tension, and reduced stress levels. Fiction takes us to another place and allows us to escape, even if it’s for just six minutes. Leaders who are intentional about stress management are far more capable of facing day-to-day problems and leading well.  

Everyone has a story, no matter how seemingly small their life is. Reading fiction is a quick way to bring our focus off of ourselves and onto someone else.  

What have you read recently? How did it improve your leadership? 

Written by: Stephanie Brown, Operations Manager – Milestone Leadership