Not All Readers Are Leaders, But All Leaders Are Readers

And most people who think they're reading to learn are just killing time.

I was about eight years old when I discovered the public library.

It was a few blocks away from the home I grew up in Honolulu

I wasn't reading to impress anyone.

I wasn't reading because a teacher assigned it.

I was reading because I was curious—and because books gave me access to worlds, ideas, and experiences I couldn't get anywhere else.

By the time I was a teenager, I'd read more books than most adults I knew.

And by the time I was in my twenties, working construction and training in Hapkido, I started noticing something:

The people who read—really read—moved up faster.

They saw things others missed.

They made fewer mistakes.

They asked better questions.

They led.

Not because they were smarter or more talented.

But because they had access to decades—sometimes centuries—of concentrated wisdom that everyone else was ignoring.

I think one reason I was able to rise through the ranks in Hapkido and become a foreman on the jobsite wasn't just hard work or natural ability.

It was because I read.

I read to learn.

I read to see things from different perspectives.

I read to avoid making the same mistakes other people already made.

I read to understand the world beyond my own limited experience.

Reading gave me an unfair advantage.

And if you're serious about leading—in your work, your family, your life—reading is non-negotiable.

But here's the catch:

Most people who think they're reading are just entertaining themselves.

They're consuming words the same way they consume Netflix.

Passive. Distracted. Forgettable.

And then they wonder why nothing changes.

The Problem: You're Reading, But You're Not Learning

Here's what's actually happening.

You read the book.

Maybe you even finish it—though statistically, most people don't.

You nod along as you read. You agree with the ideas. You feel inspired.

You might even tell someone about it: "Yeah, I just read this great book about…"

But a week later, if I asked you to explain the main points, you'd struggle.

A month later, you couldn't tell me three actionable things you took from it.

A year later, the book is a vague memory—a title on a shelf or a checkmark in your Goodreads account.

You read it. But you didn't learn from it.

And the difference between those two things is everything.

Most people read for entertainment.

They read to pass time. To feel productive. To say they did it.

But leaders read to learn.

They read with intention.

They read with a pen in hand.

They read to extract, apply, and test.

They read to become someone different than they were before they opened the book.

If you're not reading with a notebook, a pen, and a clear purpose, you're not reading effectively.

You're just consuming content.

The Cost: You're Repeating Mistakes That Were Already Solved

The brutal truth is this:

Most of the problems you're facing have already been solved.

Someone else has already made the mistake you're about to make.

Someone else has already figured out the framework you're trying to build.

Someone else has already walked the path you're struggling on.

And they wrote it down.

In a book.

That's sitting on a shelf—or in your Kindle library—waiting for you to actually engage with it.

But you're not.

You're either not reading at all, or you're reading passively—skimming, nodding, forgetting.

So you repeat the same mistakes.

You waste time reinventing wheels.

You struggle with problems that have known solutions.

You stay stuck in patterns that others escaped decades ago.

And all of it could have been avoided if you'd just learned to read properly.

The 80%ers don't read at all. They rely on podcasts, YouTube summaries, and social media soundbites. They get surface-level ideas with no depth, no context, no application.

Of the 20%ers who do read, they do so passively. They finish books and feel good about it, but nothing changes. They confuse consumption with learning.

The top 4%ers read to learn. They take notes. They reflect. They apply. They treat books like tools, not entertainment.

The 1%ers? They've been doing this so long that reading is integrated into their decision-making, their leadership, their identity. They don't just learn from books—they build on them.

Which group are you in?

The Distinction: Reading for Entertainment vs. Reading to Learn

Let's draw the line.

Reading for entertainment is passive.

You're along for the ride.

You enjoy the story, the ideas, the writing.

But when it's over, you move on.

There's nothing wrong with this—fiction, memoir, narrative nonfiction all have value.

But if all your reading is entertainment, you're not growing. You're just consuming.

Reading to learn is active.

You engage with the material.

You question it. You challenge it. You extract what's useful.

You take notes. You reflect. You connect ideas. You test them.

You read with a purpose:

What do I need to understand?
What problem am I trying to solve?
What quality am I trying to develop?

Here's the key difference:

Entertainment reading asks: Is this enjoyable?

Learning reading asks:

Is this useful?
How can I apply this?
What does this change about how I think or act?

Leaders don't have time to read for entertainment.

They read to become more effective, more capable, more wise.

They read because their decisions, their leadership, their impact depends on the quality of their thinking.

And the quality of your thinking depends on the quality of your inputs.

If you're only consuming entertainment, surface-level content, and passive media, your thinking will stay shallow.

If you're reading deeply, actively, and intentionally, your thinking will deepen.

And deeper thinking leads to better decisions.

Better decisions lead to better results.

Better results lead to better leadership.

It all starts with how you read.

The Framework: How to Read Like a Leader

Here's how to stop reading passively and start reading to learn.

Step 1: Know Why You're Reading the Book

Before you open the book, answer this question:

"What do I hope to gain from this?"

Not in a vague way.

Specifically.

Examples:

"I'm reading this to understand how to build better systems in my business."
"I'm reading this to develop patience and emotional regulation."
"I'm reading this to learn how to communicate more effectively in conflict."
"I'm reading this to see how this leader approached decision-making under pressure."

If you can't articulate why you're reading it, don't read it yet.

Find a book that answers a question you actually have.

Because reading without purpose is just killing time.

Step 2: Read With a Pen and Notebook

This is non-negotiable.

If you're not taking notes, you're not reading to learn.

Here's why:

Writing forces clarity.

When you write something down, you have to process it. Translate it. Make it your own.

You can't just nod and move on.

You have to engage.

Writing creates memory.

The act of writing—especially by hand—activates different parts of your brain than passive reading.

You're more likely to remember what you wrote than what you just read.

Writing builds a resource.

Your notes become a reference. A tool. Something you can return to without re-reading the entire book.

Over time, your notes become your library—distilled, personalized, immediately useful.

The outer ring of blue dots are my Kindle Highlight notes from books in Obsidian

One trick I like doing with my Kindle and Obsidian app, is the plug-in, Kindle Highlights which take all of my notes, highlights and tags and adds them automatically to my Obsidian vault.

What to write:

Key ideas or principles
Quotes that hit hard
Questions the book raises
Connections to other ideas or experiences
Actions you want to test
Disagreements or critiques

Don't summarize the whole book. Extract what's useful to you.

Step 3: Use Mortimer Adler's Levels of Reading

If you want to read better, start with How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler.

It's the definitive guide to active reading.

Adler breaks reading into four levels:

Level 1: Elementary Reading

Basic literacy. Can you read the words?

Most people stop here.

Level 2: Inspectional Reading

Skimming and scanning to understand structure and main ideas.

This is how you decide if a book is worth reading deeply.

Read the table of contents. Skim chapters. Get the lay of the land.

Don't waste time reading books cover-to-cover that aren't relevant to your current questions.

Level 3: Analytical Reading

Deep, focused reading.

You're asking:

What is the book about as a whole?
What is being said in detail, and how?
Is the book true, in whole or part?
What of it?

This is where the pen and notebook become essential.

You're not just reading—you're dissecting, questioning, engaging.

Level 4: Syntopical Reading

Reading multiple books on the same topic to compare, contrast, and synthesize.

This is how you build deep understanding and original thinking.

You're not just learning what one author thinks.

You're constructing your own framework from multiple perspectives.

Most people never get past Level 1.

Leaders live in Levels 3 and 4.

Step 4: Ask the Three Essential Questions

As you read, continuously ask:

1. What is the author actually saying?

Not what you think they're saying. Not what you want them to say.

What are they actually arguing?

2. Is it true?

Don't just accept it because it's in a book.

Does it align with your experience? Does it hold up to scrutiny? Are there counterexamples?

Think critically.

3. What does this mean for me?

This is where passive readers fail.

They read interesting ideas and move on.

Active readers ask: How does this apply to my life, my work, my leadership?

What do I need to do differently because of this?

Step 5: Test What You Learn

Reading to learn means nothing if you don't apply it.

After finishing a book (or even a chapter), ask:

"What's one thing I can test this week based on what I just read?"

Not ten things. One.

Maybe it's a communication framework.

Maybe it's a decision-making tool.

Maybe it's a way to structure your day.

Test it. See if it works. Refine it.

Knowledge without application is just trivia.

Leaders don't collect ideas. They test them.

Step 6: Review Your Notes Regularly

Your notes are worthless if you never look at them again.

Here's the system:

Weekly: Review the notes from the book you just finished. What stands out? What's still useful?
Monthly: Skim through your notes from the past few months. What patterns are emerging? What ideas keep showing up?
Quarterly: Revisit your best notes from the past year. What's worth re-reading? What's worth teaching to someone else?

This is how reading compounds.

Not by reading more books.

By re-engaging with the best ideas from the books you've already read.

Another reason why I love (and pay for) Obsidian is because my notes are always synced and available to me, on my phone, laptop, tablets, so that I can review, revise and reflect on my notes.

Proof Through Life: Reading Built My Leadership

I can trace almost every major advancement in my life back to something I read.

In Hapkido, I rose through the ranks because I didn't just train my body—I also trained my mind by reading.

I read about body mechanics, strategy, philosophy, teaching methods.

I saw patterns others missed because I had access to frameworks from books they'd never opened.

On the construction site, I became a foreman not because I was the strongest or the fastest.

Because I read.

I read about project management, leadership, systems thinking, communication.

I learned from other people's mistakes instead of making all of them myself.

I could see three steps ahead because I'd studied how others navigated the same challenges.

Reading gave me an unfair advantage.

Not because I'm smarter.

Because I had access to the accumulated wisdom of people who'd already solved the problems I was facing.

And I didn't just read—I learned.

I took notes. I asked questions. I applied what I read.

I tested it on the mat and on the jobsite.

And when it worked, I kept it. When it didn't, I adjusted.

That's the difference between reading and learning.

And it's the difference between staying where you are and becoming a leader.

The Warning: "The Person Who Can Read but Doesn't…"

There's an old saying:

"The person who can read but doesn't has no advantage over the person who can't read."

Think about that.

You have access to the greatest minds in history.

You have access to solutions to almost every problem you'll face.

You have access to frameworks, strategies, lessons learned through decades of trial and error.

All of it is sitting on shelves, in libraries, in your Kindle.

And if you're not reading—or if you're reading passively—you're wasting it.

You're choosing to stay ignorant when wisdom is available.

You're choosing to repeat mistakes that were already solved.

You're choosing to struggle alone when you could learn from people who've already walked the path.

That's not humility.

That's arrogance disguised as independence.

Leaders don't have the luxury of making every mistake themselves.

They learn from others.

They read.

They apply.

They lead.

No Excuses: The Objections You'll Use

"I don't have time to read."

You have time to scroll.

You have time to watch.

You have time for whatever you prioritize.

If reading isn't a priority, leadership isn't a priority.

"I'm more of an audio learner."

Audiobooks are fine for some things.

But if you're not taking notes, you're not learning—you're just listening.

And listening is passive.

Leaders engage.

Another trick I do is listen to an audiobook while reading the print or digital version, I feel I take it into different parts of my brain in that way.

I also use audiobooks to revisit the material and make dead-time into learning time, i.e. long commutes, doing chores around the house, every night as I wind down to go to sleep it's to an audiobook.

"I read, but I just don't retain much."

Because you're reading passively.

Start using a notebook. Start asking questions. Start applying what you read.

Retention follows engagement.

"I don't know what to read."

Start with How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler.

Then pick one problem you're facing and find the best book on that topic.

Read it with a pen in hand.

On other trick I use is that in every book I read, I made a note of books mentioned by the author, either buying them immediately or adding them to my list.

Presently, my wife and I have probably over 1000 books in our home, I have over 1000 Kindle book purchases and about 800 Audible audiobooks in my library, as well as older books and programs on CDs, audiotapes and my original iPod (that I need to transfer to a SSD).

At some point you will have more books than time to read and that's okay too because you will have begun building your anti-library that serves as your resource library.

The Challenge: Read One Book to Learn This Month

Here's your challenge.

Pick one book that addresses a problem you're currently facing or a quality you want to develop.

Not the book that sounds interesting.

The book that's useful.

Read it with a notebook and pen.

Answer these questions as you read:

Why am I reading this?
What is the author saying?
Is it true?
What does this mean for me?
What's one thing I can test this week?

At the end of the month, review your notes.

Then tell me: what changed?

Not what you learned.

What changed about how you think or act?

That's the measure of whether you're reading to learn.

Reply With Your Book

I want to know what you're reading.

Hit reply and tell me:

What book are you reading this month, and what problem or quality is it helping you address?

One sentence. One book.

Let's see who's serious about leading.

⚔ The Dojo Drill

Today’s training:

The Priority Stack

List the 10 things competing for your time.

Circle the top 3.

Ignore the rest today.

📚 Leader’s Library

Book I recommend this week:

The Obstacle Is the Way — Ryan Holiday

Why?

Because the obstacle you're avoiding is the success you're not having...

P.S. Know a martial arts gym owner who’s stressed about money or student numbers?

Do them a favor: send them to The Leader's dōjō 武士道場, my free Skool where I help owners get more students and keep them longer with simple systems.

One forward from you could change their gym: The Leader's dōjō 武士道場

Chuck

Charles Doublet

Why Most Readers Never Become Leaders