When I graduated from college and started work as a professional software developer, I still thirsted to grow my mind in knowledge of my faith. University of South Florida (USF) had a pretty cool campus ministry culture. So, I kept going back to my old weekly bible study on campus. The leaders of the bible study kept the discussion lively and fun. We prayed, we laughed, and grew together. Many of us would hangout late into the evening playing pool or games after the study. We were blessed with an awesome core of friends. I thank God for this experience. It was through this little book club that I met a very special young lady named Sarah. Through this bible study, God introduced me to Sarah who would become my wife.
There is a hidden treasure of starting a book club. In general, book clubs can create positive change in communities by creating social, fun, and focused discussion forums around the ideas of a book. As a teaching tool for communities, it’s an awesome way to build relationships with other team members and help each other grow. In turn, it grows the community.
I started paying attention to book clubs more closely when I was warmly invited by Matthew Winner and Jennifer Lagarde from the “LevelUpBC.” Members of this book club believe that games can have a positive impact on changing the world and learning. To learn more about this book club, please visit my blog post here.
In a professional context, my team leader and I started wondering if we could energize our work culture by learning from cultures of other companies. Inspired by the “LevelUpBC” and previous bible study experiences, I recommended that we start a weekly book club around Dave Ramsey’s book, EntreLeadership. This experience has been such a blessing. The relationships and friendships that we have formed through the book club have been so enriching.
Here are a few quick lessons that I have cherished from the book club:
- Lessons from a conductor: Have you noticed that conductors of orchestra’s don’t make a sound? Benjamin Zander , director of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra , shares that great musical direction comes from focusing on growth of the orchestra members. “He(the conductor) depends for his power on his ability to make other people powerful.” Check out his powerful TED talk here.
- You can’t push a rope. You can only pull it. Likewise, you can’t push your organization to greatness. Great organizations are built from steady and consistent actions of coaching, teaching, and focused professional will. Great organizations are born from humble leaders. Great leaders help their teams become successful and give the team the praise. Dave Ramsey also believes that God has a powerful role in growing your community. We should be open to letting Him grow it.
- Start with Why: Great leaders help their organizations understand why they exist. What is your organizations purpose and mission? Can we connect our daily work into that mission?
- The Wheel of Life: This is a great teaching on balancing all aspects of your life. Business leaders are often pulled in multiple directions at the same time. How do you balance your work life, your spiritual life, and family life? Check out Chris LoCurto’s great post on this topic.
- How to build unity? This podcast provides teachings to improve communication and unity in your organization.
- If you’re going to grow a new venture, non-profit, or company, don’t go into debt.
- Building a platform to help market your organization. Check out the show with Michael Hyatt. He provides solid coaching on leadership and getting noticed in the world of social media. He also teaches why genuine social connections can help you achieve the mission of your organization.
We love to hear from our readers. To keep the conversation going, what books are inspiring you?
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