Successful Leaders See Reading as a Competitive Advantage

As businesses navigate accelerating change and increased market pressure, I am spotlighting a powerful leadership tool during National Reading Month: disciplined, intentional reading.

National Reading Month, observed in March to promote literacy and lifelong learning, often emphasizes youth engagement. I believe its value extends far beyond the classroom and into the executive suite.

Reading stretches your thinking. It challenges assumptions, builds clarity, and sharpens your ability to communicate. Those are leadership skills.

While some professionals may view the heightened focus on reading as routine, I argue that the increased emphasis this month delivers measurable returns that compound over time. I call reading “essential training for the executive mind,” strengthening mental discipline, improving analytical ability, expanding imagination, and boosting memory.

One clear value of reading is that studying and internalizing principles strengthens character and changes destiny.

National Reading Month: Intentional Learning

In All the Right Reasons, I reflect on Benjamin Franklin’s commitment to tracking and living his core values. By writing, prioritizing, tracking, and clarifying his core values, Franklin came to understand them better and developed a path to integrate them into his life.

I summarize the lesson this way: I’ve learned from the Ben Franklin Principle that when you commit to living according to your core values, you change your destiny.

For me, that is the deeper return on reading. Intentional learning, reflection, and application of principles, often gained through reading and study, elevate character, sharpen decision-making, and ultimately shape long-term success.

I have embedded this philosophy into USANA’s leadership culture by highlighting the influence of Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath.

The principle is: What are we doing here at USANA that makes USANA sticky? What makes people want to stay involved and stay connected? Those ideas, how do they blossom and how do they grow? Why do some survive and some don’t?

I immediately translated insight into action by asking the entire management team to read Made to Stick and decide which principles can be applied to their own areas throughout the company.

Reading is not passive consumption. It is strategic execution. The lessons from Made to Stick inform how USANA evaluates messaging, strengthens culture, and builds long-term loyalty.

Reading as a Competitive Advantage

Here are five ways reading functions as a competitive advantage for successful professionals:

1. Strategic foresight: Exposure to diverse ideas helps leaders identify patterns early and anticipate market shifts.
2. Sharper decision-making: Engaging with complex arguments improves clarity under pressure.
3. Cognitive resilience: Reading increases focus and strengthens composure in high-stakes moments.
4. Stronger communication: Consistent readers articulate vision with precision and authority.
5. Innovation through cross-pollination: Reading outside one’s field introduces frameworks that spark new solutions.

Reading is one of the simplest habits you can develop. But over time, it compounds. It builds perspective. It builds insight. Simply put, readers are leaders.

By elevating reading from hobby to discipline, I believe leaders strengthen their thinking, fortify their character, and position their organizations for sustained growth.

What I’m Reading

Occasionally, I’ll share thoughts on books I’ve enjoyed and found valuable.

I shared a version of this article in a news release on March 2, 2026. USANA Health Sciences, a global leader in health and wellness products, has long recognized the importance of social wellness in building a successful business. Since its founding in 1992, USANA has focused on clear, concise communication to build trust with its customers and distributors in 25 countries. For more information about USANA Health Sciences and its dedication to promoting health, wellness, and entrepreneurial success, visit USANA.com.