How to recall and retain what you read as a leader

Executive overview

Most reading is wasted because leaders do nothing with it after finishing. The seek, sense, share model from Harold Jarche gives a repeatable system for turning reading into retained, usable knowledge. Reading to answer a real problem — and then actively doing something with the material — is what separates leaders who grow from those who merely collect books.

Read to answer a specific problem, engage actively while reading, then share or apply what you learned before moving on.

Managing near-retirement employees

• A key motivator for employees nearing retirement is relevance — most want to stay relevant and contribute, not coast.
• Watch for your own age-related biases before concluding that performance problems are inevitable.
• Explore flexible transitions: part-time roles, mentoring responsibilities, legacy-focused projects, phased handoffs.
• Tap into people's desire to leave a mark; reshaping roles around that desire frees up capacity and honours contribution.
• In the US, employees over 40 are a legally protected class — performance management must be documented and non-discriminatory.
• Focus on whether the person meets job requirements, not on diagnosing the cause of any decline.
• Use the accountability dial (Jonathan Raymond) to address performance — start with observations, escalate only as needed.

Reporting a boss's misconduct when leaving

• Reporting misconduct after deciding to resign significantly reduces your credibility — you are seen as having less at stake.
• Timing matters: an exit complaint is taken less seriously than one filed while still employed.
• Assess your HR team's track record: past behaviour predicts how they will handle the report.
• If asked directly, answer honestly — but unsolicited reports on the way out rarely drive lasting change.
• Exception: if the behaviour creates clear legal liability for the company, reporting may still be warranted.

Recalling what you read: seek, sense, share

• Seek with purpose — read to answer a specific problem, not to collect books.
• Sense through active engagement: highlight, annotate, and connect material to your work as you read.
• Share immediately after — write a post, brief your team, or discuss it; sharing forces retrieval.
• Set a realistic annual reading goal and track it (e.g. Goodreads); the system matters more than the number.
• Digital reading enables highlight export — a ready-made note archive per book.
• Fewer books with active follow-through beats many books read passively.

Working out loud as a retention tool

• Working out loud (John Stepper) — sharing your learning openly — deepens retention through radical transparency.
• Sharing does not have to be public: a private journal, team meeting, or blog post all work.
• Fiction counts: characters and narratives can shift thinking as effectively as nonfiction.
• Retrieval practice (Pooja Agarwal) is the underlying science — the more you recall something, the stronger the memory.
• Informal book clubs create discussion that surfaces applications you would miss reading alone.

Transitioning from faculty to academic administrator

• The most common interview mistake is over-talking — answer concisely, make one point, tell one short story, then stop.
• Leave the committee curious; let them ask follow-up questions rather than exhausting your material upfront.
• Avoid signalling that you have all the answers — committees want to see curiosity and openness, not a ready-made prescription.
• Be careful with language: certain words carry institutional baggage and can inadvertently alienate search committee members.
• Lean on transferable skills: running conferences, managing classroom projects, and committee leadership all map to administrative competencies.
• Match your experience explicitly to each requirement in the job description before the interview.
• Read The First 90 Days (Michael Watkins) to avoid the common trap of over-prescribing before you understand the context.