The Power of the Page: Why Reading Still Rules
✦ Click any bullet point or select text for an AI explanation
Despite the rise of video and AI, there is one skill that remains the ultimate differentiator: You must be a good reader.
Deep Reading vs. Digital Scanning
In an era of TikTok and "snackable" content, the ability to engage in Deep Reading is a superpower. Deep reading involves slow, reflective, and immersive engagement with a text.
Research Example: A study published in the Journal of Positive Psychology (2025) found that reading physical books (as opposed to digital snippets) significantly improves "executive function"—the brain's ability to focus, plan, and execute tasks. Furthermore, a longitudinal study from Yale University found that people who read books for just 30 minutes a day lived, on average, two years longer than non-readers.
Why Reading Equals Success
- Complexity Handling: Business and technology are complex. If you can't read a 20-page white paper or a complex contract without losing focus, you cannot lead.
- Empathy and Leadership: Fiction reading has been shown to increase "Theory of Mind"—the ability to understand what others are thinking and feeling. This is the core of effective management.
- The Compound Interest of Knowledge: Books allow you to "download" the life’s work of a genius in a weekend. If you read one book a month, you are mentally "merging" with 12 masters a year.
I still start my day with deep reading. It primes my brain for the "cogitations" that lead to new companies and new ideas.