I normally would not subject this blog to an email chain letter, however, this following quiz is powerful. You may have seen it in your inbox at some point in time. It's been going around since 2000 and has erroneously attributed Charles Schulz, the infamous Peanuts cartoonist, as the author. At any rate, as I said, it's powerful and worth the read....

Try to answer the following questions in your mind.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America Contest.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade’s worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here’s another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier?

The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.

Want to be an effective leader? Get into the daily habit of reading. Effective leaders are avid readers.

In fact, I’ve often thought, “Find a good leader and you will find them reading a good book.” (Possibly many good books all at once.) Effective leaders possess an insatiable hunger for knowledge. They crave to learn and grow and gain a greater understanding of the things around them. They often want to know how, understand why, and they’re really good at taking what they absorb and translating it into their life, as well as, sharing with and impacting those around them from the abundance of what they’ve gleaned from others.

For a leader, reading is a tool, and a powerful one at that. Reading stimulates the mind and is a catalyst for thinking and for solving. It can crack open the windows of the brain to things and opportunities we never even knew existed before. Oftentimes, reading helps us to understand things fuller, see things clearer, and speak things better. And eventually it all pays off. In fact, there are powerful correlations among reading, vocabulary, and being successful. Studies have shown that people's earnings are in direct proportion to their vocabularies. Therefore, those who read more often have larger vocabularies, and those who have larger vocabularies tend to earn the most money.

You see, great things result from reading good books. To read is to empower. Yourself and then others. Are you this kind of a leader? Are you growing yourself every day? If you want to maximize your influence and be all that you are capable of being, become a voracious reader.