My week just went from good to GREAT!

Remember that feeling when you were a kid and received mail in the post? I still get it every time there’s a parcel in my letterbox (though the bills do nothing for me!) This week’s parcel was a cracker, a gift from my all time favorite business author – Jim Collins – a complete, signed, set. Happy days!

I’ve always loved reading; it’s the thing I missed the most in those early days of parenting when it’s impossible to string together more than one paragraph without (a) baby screaming in the background, (b) the maniacal rush to get jobs done while baby is sleeping, or (c) falling asleep (the most likely scenario!). It wasn’t until my little boss started school that I found the headspace to read again and it’s truly one of my great joys in life.

Earlier this year, as Master of Ceremonies at The Growth Summit, I had the great fortune of spending not one but TWO days with Jim Collins, who is quite simply the most interesting author and researcher I’ve ever met. His depth of knowledge on how success is achieved in business is formidable and despite his own unflappable success (he’s sold over 10million copies of his books worldwide) he is incredibly generous with his time and so very down to earth.

Of course I took my old dog-eared copy of Good to Great along to the events and when I asked for Jim to sign it, not only did he happily oblige but also promised to send the complete set my way. I’d forgotten about that conversation by the time my box arrived this week.

One little tip Jim shared with all of us at The Growth Summit is that the most successful businesspeople readers read. A lot. Bill Gates has ‘think weeks’ away from his desk and spends most of the time reading. Warren Buffett estimates he spends 80% of his working day reading and thinking. Steve Jobs had a life long love of reading and devoured dozens of books every year. Mark Zuckerberg – in his 2015 reading challenge – announced his intention to read a book every other week.

After my time with Jim Collins I started reading again. A lot. I remember now how much I love immersing myself in a good book, and with his parcel I’ve just added four new titles to my reading pile. Can’t wait to start turning the pages!