If you want an example of a professional reading program look no further than the Marine Corps program. The Commandant's Reading List was started in the 1980's by General Al Gray and has continued to be a key component of every Marines' professional education. You might not associate the terms "well read" with Marines, yet the best ones are dedicated students of their trade who read as much as any grad student in a given year. Every rank, from Private to General, is required to read selections from the list. No excuses. Why does the Marine Corps make professional reading a requirement? Here is what they have to say:
"In an era of constrained resources, our professional reading program is designed to provide Marines with an intellectual framework to study warfare and enhance their thinking and decision making skills. The mind, like the body, grows soft with inactivity. All Marines must understand that mental fitness is as demanding and as important as physical fitness, for both require commitment and perseverance. In a world characterized by rapid change and great uncertainty, our reading program will act as a combat multiplier by providing all Marines with a common frame of reference and historical perspective on warfare, human factors in combat and decision making. In so doing, the program will also strengthen the threads of cohesion that make our Marine Corps unique."It's hard to argue with that logic. In fact, it would be easy for your company to institute a reading program using the same argument. Just take the text above, replace "Marines" with "employees" and references to warfare and combat with terms appropriate to your company's situation. Take the recommendation to your manager and see what happens. It's the kind to solution most managers love to see cross their desk; it cost nothing to implement, at worst it will be ignored causing harm to no one, and at best it will lead to the professional growth of employees.
