North Star Writers Group

Let me start by saying that whenever a new project or opportunity is presented to me, I always embrace it. I have an open mind, an open heart and I try to learn from every experience. So about a year ago, when my company came up with the idea to have corporate book clubs, I was all about it.

�What a fantastic way to learn from others,� I thought. �I�m sure I�ll gain amazing insight that helps me do my job,� I said to myself. I read the first book. I enjoyed it. In nerd-like fashion, I even put little Post-It flags on all the important pages. I was prepared.

Now, 10 months later, I just hope it goes away.

But I did learn something. I am a book club snob. My first book club, in college, was of a highly academic nature. We read books about the Kennedy conspiracy, and spent hours debating. After I moved to a new city, I joined a liberal women�s book club. More conspiracies. More debate.

I moved again, and this time, joined an online book club with some of my old college friends. This one was quite eclectic. We shifted � gracefully, I might add � from �The Lexus the Olive Tree� to �Marley and Me�, but there was something about the absence of camaraderie that made me leave, seeking a face-to-face alternative.

I soon found it. And it�s a good one. We�re all busy moms with jobs, who rarely spend time away from our cubicles or our kids � not because we�re tied to them, but because we actually enjoy them. The jobs. The kids. The �dream� of having it all, even though the dream can sometimes prove more of a nightmare. We read and talk about what it�s like to be a woman in Iraq. And talk about our sanity, and what helps us keep � and sometimes, regain � it.

And then, it�s back to the corporate book club. First, there is no wine or Triscuit crackers with cheese. Strike one against the corporate book club. Second, there are no debates. I mean, who can argue with a sales guru who says that voicemails and phone calls shouldn�t be boring. Excuse the expression, but, �Duh!� It�s also hard to argue with a corporate culture guru who says large companies need to embrace the power of user-driven online media. If �duh� had an adjective, I would use it here.

Remember, three strikes and you�re out. That was two. And it�s pretty easy to come up with a third. Take your pick:

1. Half the club has more important meetings to attend. No, not just ones they imagine are more important. Ones that actually are much more important.

2. We�re already working 10-hour days, or more. We don�t want to read something that makes us think about work when we�re not there.

3. We�re wearing business clothes.

4. There are no couches or oversized pillows or armrests.

5. No cheese. No drinks. Oh wait, I already said that!

So, companies of the world, I implore you. Forbid such forced socialization. Rather, hire employees who naturally seek the counsel of other experts, in other departments, when they need to and aren�t too proud to do so. Be brave! Eliminate your corporate book clubs. Instead, encourage employees to come up with their own �aha!� ideas for change and improvement. And actually use some of them.

Finally, keep in mind that when I�m in a book club, I�d rather be learning to run my life, not my sales force. I�d rather laugh out loud � a lot. I�d rather decide to do something about a social injustice � with other people who are passionate about it, too. I�d rather talk with people from other companies who really can share insight on how to do things differently.

And I�ll admit, it helps that they can also tell me how to get apple juice out of yellow fabric. Now that�s a tip I can really use � as soon as I get home, as a matter of fact!

� 2007 North Star Writers Group. May not be republished without permission.

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