Implementing concepts from a book

Submitted by Dave Howe
in
General Questions and Comments

I've been noticing that my systems for implementing ideas from what I read is not where it should be.  I have a recent work experience that clearly frames the area of improvement I'm seeking advice on...

I'm in sales and I read The Challenger Sale 2-3 times since it was published just over a year ago.  A few of our managers and our VP of sales recently went to a conference hosted by the authors of the book.  As a result many of the principles from the book ended up front and center on their radar.  They know I'm well versed in the concepts of the book and I'm excited about how this has strengthened my relationships.

I admire how well they've implemented many of the principles, and I've also noticed numerous overlooked opportunities that I potentially could have picked up on and implemented during my own improvement process.  Granted at 27 with 5 years of sales experience I wouldn't expect myself to have done as well as my management team.  I just want to start learning what some of the effective habits other forum members could share with me on this topic.

I have a few speculations that might help with creating direction for anyone willing to contribute ideas, maybe I need to:

  • Slow down and read more deliberately
  • Find a better system for making and reviewing annotations
  • Keep a list of actionable items while reading, consolidate and prioritize the list into next steps upon completing the book

Your insights are appreciated!

Submitted by Michael Soguero on Monday December 10th, 2012 7:07 am

I do the following and have found them helpful

  • use small post it notes while I read and put them on a page near any passage that suggests and action (go back and review from time to time)
  • create my own index by writing on the back cover - again, focus on actions I want to take...usually an exercise or lengthier piece to get to the index
  • pick one idea to implement that week (sounds like you already implement and you're looking for getting more)
  • make it a point to discuss something with someone else from the book while you are reading - get it out into conversations
Submitted by Glenn Ross on Monday December 10th, 2012 9:20 am

Let me echo Tiomikel's suggestion above about picking one idea to implement each week. This is a technique used to teach the Dale Carnegie Human Relations Principles to learners. First, make a list of ideas, then decide when you'll implement them. Some will work better than others, Some may not work at all for you. That's okay. Then salt each week's idea where you'll see it on a regular basis throughout that week. On your calendar as a reminder, Post it notes stuck everywhere from your bathroom mirror to your car visor, etc.
I was so impressed with the book, Switch, that I created an excel spread sheet so that I could make sure I didn't skip any steps.
The last point above is also ditto-worthy, as well.

Submitted by Dave Howe on Friday December 14th, 2012 10:45 am

Just wanted to say thanks to both of you for feedback.
I see a parallel between both of your systems and ideas from "Getting Things Done" by David Allen.  Especially in terms of breaking the concepts into manageable action items.  I also like the ideas of making it a point to get the action items into conversations and also creating cues/reminders.
One of my other issues seems to be I tend to read 1 book every two weeks, and once I'm on to a new book I lose interest in implementing ideas from whatever I read previously.  And reading is an outlet for me to relax and unwind.  Maybe I need to occasionally re-read a book rather than moving on to another, or mix up the types of books I read to include some fiction or content that's not as much in the self-improvement domain...

Submitted by Sam Gamble on Saturday December 15th, 2012 8:01 am

I like this thread, thanks for starting.
I echo what DCH315 said about reading too much, then losing interest in the previous book.  It is normal, I think, to have more of an interest in collecting knowledge (the reading), than the application of the knowledge (the implementation).  The question is, what do we do about this?
I have 5 or 6 books on my table that I would like to read but I'm thinking ok, I would like to read these, but then what.
Its probably fanciful to say ok I will not read another book until I implement something from the last book I just read.  Or maybe once you get to a certain number of ideas you have that you think are worth implementing but they have not yet been implemented, maybe that is then the time to not read more books.
None of this is mentioning how much daily reading material you can accumulate on Twitter in the form of article links!
This is advice for myself more than a comment - There is nothing inherently wrong or bad with just reading and not implementing, but you won't get the implementation result by just reading!  Maybe the trick is to restrict yourself to either zero or one major ideas per book to implement? - eg. if you aren't going to implement, don't "act" as if you are...

Submitted by Sam Gamble on Saturday December 15th, 2012 8:02 am

One thing that's kind of funny, is in this site there is an area for book reviews... maybe it should be renamed "Book Actions" :)