The Secret Weapon: Doing the Reading
If you want to be interesting, become the smartest person in the room, and move ahead at work, there’s a surprisingly simple—though not always easy—strategy: do the reading. It sounds almost too basic, but in a world where most people only skim headlines or rely on secondhand summaries, actually engaging with ideas sets you apart in ways that are both subtle and profound.
People often assume I’m a natural reader, someone who was born with a book in his hand or who just instinctively loves to read. The truth is, I’m not. Becoming a reader didn’t come naturally to me. I had to work at it. Over time, I realized that if I wanted to be prepared, if I wanted to have something meaningful to say, I needed to make reading a discipline—a part of my daily work, not just an occasional hobby. It was a choice, a practice, and honestly, sometimes a struggle. But the payoff has been enormous.
Think about the last time you were in a meeting or a group discussion. There’s always that one person who seems to have a knack for asking the right questions, connecting the dots, or offering a perspective no one else considered. Nine times out of ten, that person is the one who’s done the homework. They’ve read the memo, the book, the article—or maybe even gone a step further and read around the topic, not just about it. They’re not necessarily the most naturally brilliant person in the room, but they’re the most prepared, and that makes all the difference.
Preparation
Preparation is really the secret sauce here. When you’ve done the reading, you show up with more than just your opinions—you show up with context, with understanding, and with the ability to see the conversation from multiple angles. Mortimer Adler, in How to Read a Book, makes the point that reading isn’t just about absorbing information. It’s about interrogating the text, wrestling with it, and asking, “What is this really about? What is the author trying to say? Do I agree, and if not, why not?” That kind of active engagement doesn’t just make you smarter; it makes you more interesting, too.
Curiosity is what fuels this process. If you’re genuinely curious, reading isn’t a chore—it’s an adventure. You start to see connections between things you never would have noticed otherwise. Maybe something you read in a novel suddenly sheds light on a problem at work, or a historical event you learned about helps you understand a current challenge in your field. The more you read, the more you realize how ideas echo and overlap, and you become the person who can bring those insights into the room. People notice that. They start to look to you for input, for perspective, for leadership.
I never want to be a know-it-all. In fact, my goal isn’t to have all the answers, but to be the one who keeps asking questions. Reading, for me, isn’t about stockpiling facts or showing off what I know. It’s about cultivating a posture of curiosity and humility. The kind of reading Adler describes is about going deeper, about questioning, about letting yourself be changed by what you encounter. He talks about different levels of reading, from basic comprehension all the way up to what he calls “syntopical reading”—where you’re comparing different authors, weighing their arguments, and forming your own conclusions. That’s when you move from just knowing things to actually understanding them. You’re not just parroting what you’ve read; you’re synthesizing, critiquing, and, ultimately, contributing something new.
This depth of engagement is what sets you apart at work. When you’re the person who’s done the reading, you’re not easily rattled by tough questions or unexpected challenges. There is a reservoir of knowledge and insight to draw from which gives you confidence. It also gives you credibility. People trust your input because it’s clear you’ve put in the work, and that kind of trust is invaluable in any professional setting.
There’s something magnetic about someone who’s genuinely engaged with ideas. They’re more interesting to talk to, more fun to collaborate with, and more likely to inspire others. It’s not about being a know-it-all—it’s about being a lifelong learner, someone who’s always looking for the next question to ask or the next connection to make.
If you want to get ahead—if you want to be the person people look to for insight, creativity, and leadership—start by doing the reading. Not just the minimum required, but the kind of reading that stretches you, challenges you, and makes you think. Prepare, stay curious, and engage deeply. Over time, you’ll find that you’re not just keeping up—you’re leading the way, and you’re making every room you enter a little more interesting. That’s the real power of doing the reading.