A few months ago I acted on a goal I have had for a long time—to start a business book club.
Although we have only met a few times, the coming together of this like-minded group of professionals has been more delightful than I could have ever anticipated.
Instead of being limited to my own conclusions on a particular book, I now have access to the ways that others with different backgrounds and expertise take in, interpret and utilize the same information.
It’s like arriving late at night to a vacation destination you’ve only seen in brochures and waking up in the morning and opening the curtains to find a beautiful, expansive view of the world your imagination could never have fully pictured.
At the most recent meeting of the club (August 18), we discussed Daniel Pink’s book, Drive. Here are some “snapshots” of the view:
“I realized how the creativity we need from our employees is stopped by being too rigid.” (Business Owner/Manager)
“After reading the book, I have a new approach to doing performance reviews. Instead of setting goals, I’ll focus on asking my senior staff if they have the autonomy they need to do their job well, the tools they need to achieve mastery and how they feel about our purpose, which is the glue that sticks it all together. I see in Pink’s approach the opportunity for a new kind of dialogue.” (CEO)
“The book made me feel good about the choices I’ve made, especially around creating a business venture not driven by the desire to make money and getting ready for September. It affirmed my practice of giving students autonomy in how they do assignments and helping them gain mastery by making teaching a two-way street.” (Educator)
“In an interview you can tell immediately if the person is motivated intrinsically or extrinsically by the questions they ask. I want the person who is so engaged in the work that he’ll be doing that he calls back the next day and says, ‘My wife wanted to know about the benefits package.’ ” (IT entrepreneur).
“After grass-roots careers in a business I loved and a business I hated, I’m beginning to see that learning serves more than the purpose of mastery; it can be fun.” (Business Consultant)
