Tool Tip: Using Videos to Augment the Reading List

One way to introduce reading list topics to your crew, module, or unit is to use short video clips about the book or topic. It sounds like a cop-out to say it, but you don’t necessarily have to read an entire book to get the best ideas out of it, even though there’s definitely more value in reading the whole book and discussing it with others.

Each discussion guide for books on the Professional ReadingList since 2016 has a few links to videos either by the authors, or on the topic, that would be good discussion starters, or short summaries of the topics in the book. For example, Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin was featured in 2017, and this 8-minute video linked in the discussion guide is a great way to spark some dialog about the book and topic without much effort. Similarly, this clip from the film Gettysburg is often used in training, and could be used with the book The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara.

Many of us do morning briefings in a ready room or similar space where we have access to a computer and/or screen for training, and it’s easy to find short video clips to use in the same way the we do 6 Minutes forSafety. If not at morning briefings, then perhaps there’s a weekly training day scheduled when you can introduce some video clips on leadership book topics. All it takes is a screen, an internet connection, and a few minutes of your time.

Leaders are Readers!