A note on the word “study”
The title of this article uses the word “study”, so a clear statement is in order: this page reports no study of its own. It does not present original research, survey results, interviews or measurements. What it does is explain, in general terms, why people have long linked reading with good leadership, what researchers in related areas can and cannot show, and how a thoughtful reader might use that understanding.
Why reading and leadership are so often linked
Leaders are often expected to read a lot. They absorb reports, proposals, legal and financial documents, and a steady stream of messages. It is natural to assume that people who read widely make better decisions, and the idea appeals to many. Biographies of well-known leaders often mention their reading habits, which reinforces the impression.
But there is a catch. People who end up in leadership roles tend to have education, time and resources that also make reading easier. So when someone observes that leaders read, it is hard to tell whether reading helped them lead or whether the same circumstances produced both. This difficulty is common throughout research on reading and life outcomes, and it is a good reason for caution about strong claims.
What reading may offer a leader
Even without proof that reading makes leaders, there are sensible reasons it might help.
Perspective. Leadership often means making choices that affect people whose lives differ from your own. Reading history, fiction or accounts of other people’s experiences can widen the range of situations you can imagine. A reader who has spent time inside many viewpoints may be slower to assume that everyone thinks as they do.
Judgment. Good judgment often grows from seeing many examples of how situations unfold. Reading about past decisions and their consequences, whether in history, case descriptions or well-reported journalism, offers a kind of vicarious experience. It does not replace real experience, but it can add to it.
Precision with ideas. Following a complex argument and noticing where it is weak is a skill that reading develops. This is closely related to critical thinking, which helps when a leader must weigh competing proposals or spot gaps in a plan.
Language for explaining. Leaders spend much of their time explaining decisions. Exposure to clear writing and thoughtful speech may help them find words that others can follow, though communication also depends on practice and listening.
Humility. Reading about fields outside your own is a regular reminder of how much you do not know. For some leaders, that is valuable, since a willingness to ask and learn is often part of effective leadership.
What research can and cannot show
Research in this area comes in several forms, and each has limits. Understanding them helps you judge claims you may see elsewhere.
- Surveys of what leaders say they read. These can describe habits, but they rely on self-report. People may overstate or understate their reading, and a survey cannot show that reading caused anything.
- Comparisons between readers and non-readers. Groups that differ in reading often differ in many other ways, such as education, income and interests. Isolating the effect of reading is difficult.
- Experiments on narrower skills. Some studies look at specific abilities, such as how reading certain kinds of text affects attention or understanding of other people’s feelings. Results tend to be modest, vary between studies and are often measured over short periods in controlled settings that are far from real leadership.
- Case descriptions and biographies. These are vivid but selective. We hear about the leaders who read and credit their success to it, while those who read just as much but did not succeed go unmentioned.
Taken together, the evidence is mixed and suggestive at most. It is reasonable to say reading may support some of the qualities good leaders need. It is not reasonable to say that reading makes someone a good leader, or that a person who reads less cannot lead well. Plenty of effective leaders learn mostly through people and practice.
Kinds of reading worth considering
Leaders and aspiring leaders can think about reading in a few broad categories, without needing to name any particular title.
- Reading in your own field. This keeps knowledge current and helps you understand the issues your team faces.
- Reading across fields. Economics, psychology, history or science writing for general readers can show how other disciplines handle problems.
- Reading about people. Biography, memoir and fiction offer insight into motives and relationships. They are especially useful for developing emotional intelligence and understanding how people react under pressure.
- Reading that challenges you. Material that disagrees with your assumptions can be uncomfortable, but it is often where the most learning happens.
- Reading for rest. Leaders also need time away from decision making. Pleasure reading counts too.
Getting more from the reading you do
Reading helps most when it leads to reflection. Some simple ways to do that include writing a few lines after each session about what struck you, asking how an idea applies to a real situation you face, and discussing a piece with a trusted colleague who may see it differently. Reading a text and then doing nothing with it rarely changes how anyone leads.
It also helps to stay skeptical. A confident book about leadership may rest on a handful of stories, and advice that worked in one setting may not travel to another. Treat what you read as material for thinking, not as a set of rules.
The balanced view
Reading is probably best seen as one tool among many for developing leadership. It can widen perspective, sharpen judgment and improve how you handle ideas. It cannot supply experience, character or the trust of the people you work with. Anyone hoping to lead better would do well to read, listen, practice and reflect, and to be wary of anyone promising that one of these alone is enough.