One trait that seems to divide some professionals from others lies in their interest in self-education.  I know a lot of people who read their final non-fiction book shortly before they earned their most recent degree.  That's an unfortunate thing.  It seems that the best workers I know are constantly looking for books, CD's, best practices, case studies, subject matter experts and other sources of professionally-enriching information.  It's amazing how many "degrees" people can earn throughout life via self-education.

Still, on the other side of the spectrum are those that hoarde information without ever putting it to good use.  Yes, almost everybody who reads this blog has probably also read Good to Great, Blue Ocean Strategy, Principle-Centered Leadership, Why We Buy, Execution, How to Win Friends and Influence People, Emotional Intelligence, etc.  But, are we reading these books just to know that we read them?  Is there a massive virtual book club out there somewhere?  Are we readers or are we leaders?

A university professor who did his doctorate in organizational leadership once pointed out to me that there is a big difference between "doing the right thing" and "being a leader."  Leadership, by nature, requires the inspiration, mobilization and preservation of a particular group culture.  How many of us have actually taken the material from one of these wonderful books and successfully implemented it in their business?

The secret seems to lie not in gathering the most books for the sake of building an informational database in our head.  The valuable skill is to take just a few lessons and to weave them into our businesses and our lives.