Highly successful people read books differently, says expert: An ‘underused and incredibly powerful...way to develop ourselves’

The most effective leadership advice may be hiding in plain sight on your bookshelf, waiting to be uncovered by learning to read like a leader. Successful leaders like Bill Gates and Barack Obama are known for their voracious reading habits, and they're likely reading differently than you. According to Northwestern management professor Brooke Vuckovic, they're intentionally seeking hidden lessons and leadership solutions in every page.

In Vuckovic's MBA class on moral leadership, students analyze novels and short stories to understand how power and empathy play out in the workplace. "Our best leaders are looking for ways to develop themselves, and fiction offers an underused and incredibly powerful way to do so – if read correctly," she says.

Here's her advice for reading like highly successful people:

1. Ask the right questions: When starting a new novel, pause after the first chapter and describe the central characters. What forces impact them? What drives them? This develops interpersonal awareness and empathy, crucial skills for leaders.

2. Practice self-awareness: Identify which character or story elements you relate to most. What do you have in common? Why do you find them appealing? Do you share strengths or flaws? This self-reflection is critical for successful leadership.

3. Analyze conflicts: Identify conflicts in the story and describe the moral quandary behind them. Is it individual versus community or loyalty versus truth-telling? Consider how you'd advise the characters and approach the issue from a neutral entry point.

4. Draw workplace parallels: After analyzing conflicts, consider how the story relates to your own life's quandaries. Force a connection, even if it feels like a stretch. This helps analyze familiar problems from a new perspective.

By reading like a leader, you can develop crucial skills like interpersonal awareness, empathy, and self-awareness, and approach problems creatively and differently. As Vuckovic says, "It's just a way to think creatively and differently from a different standpoint about problems that you're facing.