“The secret of joy in work is contained in one word – excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it.” ~Pearl Buck

How many books did you read last year in your area of expertise? If you are a male reading this, odds are that you read between zero and one. If you are a woman reading this entry, odds are that you read between one and two books last year directly relating to your field of expertise. So what does this mean? (Other than the fact that women generally know more than men and I don’t think that is any real revelation!)

It means you need to start to read! I don’t remember the exact statistics anymore, but this will be very close:

  • Read one book per month in your field and you will be a regional expert in 1 year
  • Keep it up for 3 years and you will be a national expert in your field
  • Keep it up for 5 years and you will be an international expert in your field

It’s as simple as that. (And yes, you can substitute trade journals and specialty publications…as long as you really read them and don’t just look at the pictures!) Read. Read one book per month in your field and you will have handled the being an expert part of the 3 part equation. Oh, but you don’t have time to read anymore? We will talk about that next time.

“The noblest search is the search for excellence.” ~Lyndon Johnson