As part of National Reading Month messaging, Kevin Guest, Chairman and CEO of USANA Health Sciences, is encouraging leaders to rethink how reading contributes to professional growth.
Guest’s core idea is simple: consistent reading can become a strategic advantage for leaders, improving the way they think, communicate, and guide organizations.
Rather than viewing reading as passive learning, he frames it as a leadership habit that strengthens decision-making, innovation, and long-term vision.
Guest outlines five key ways reading can strengthen leadership performance.
Strategic Foresight
Leaders who read regularly are better positioned to spot patterns early and recognize emerging trends.
Exposure to diverse ideas and case studies can help leaders anticipate industry shifts and prepare organizations before changes become obvious.
Sharper Decision-Making
Reading builds mental frameworks that support clearer thinking.
When leaders face complex decisions or high-pressure moments, those frameworks help them analyze situations more effectively and make more confident choices.
Cognitive Resilience
Leadership often involves high-stakes environments.
Guest suggests that regular reading can improve focus, mental clarity, and emotional composure, helping leaders remain steady during demanding situations.
Stronger Communication
Books expose leaders to new ideas, stories, and perspectives.
This strengthens the ability to articulate vision, communicate strategy, and inspire teams with clarity and authority.
Innovation Through Cross-Pollination
One of the most powerful benefits of reading is the ability to borrow concepts from outside one’s industry.
Ideas from psychology, business strategy, science, or technology can spark new solutions when applied in unexpected ways.
This cross-industry thinking often drives innovation.
Guest emphasizes that the goal of reading is not simply collecting knowledgeit’s applying it.
One example he highlights is the book Made to Stick, written by Chip Heath and Dan Heath.
After reading the book, Guest asked USANA’s entire management team to study it and apply its principles in their respective departments.
The goal was to strengthen areas such as:
This approach demonstrates what Guest calls “reading that drives execution.”
The guest also connects leadership development with social impact.
Proceeds from his book All the Right Reasons support the USANA Foundation.
According to the initiative, each book purchase helps provide 40 meals to children in need, contributing to the foundation’s broader mission of fighting hunger.
To date, the foundation reports helping provide more than 112 million meals worldwide.
This connection between leadership learning and charitable impact reflects Guest’s belief that personal growth and purpose-driven action can move forward together.
Guest’s perspective reinforces a broader leadership principle:
Growth in leadership often begins with growth in thinking.
By treating reading as an intentional habit rather than occasional inspiration, leaders can sharpen strategic thinking, communicate more effectively, and bring fresh ideas into their organizations.
In that sense, reading becomes more than a personal habit; it becomes a tool for building stronger teams and stronger companies.
USANA Chairman and CEO Kevin Guest is encouraging leaders to use National Reading Month as a reset for meaningful growthtreating reading as a competitive advantage that strengthens foresight, decision-making, resilience, communication, and innovation. He emphasizes reading with action, even encouraging USANA’s management team to apply lessons from “Made to Stick” to improve messaging and culture. Through Guest’s book All the Right Reasons, proceeds also support the USANA Foundation, helping provide meals to children in need while linking leadership development with purpose-driven impact.
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