by Karen Kahn

Lean-In by Cheryl Sandburg nudged many women to think about and position themselves in new, assertive ways. It also birthed a relatively new way for women to come together for compelling discussions and even conduct business. Welcome to the Professional Book Club—gatherings of colleagues inside or across organizations who talk about professional issues, get to know each other and explore ways to help each other advance.

These groups have been so enthusiastically received by some of my clients in big law firms that they have created multiple gatherings; one client was even asked to facilitate a group for her local women’s bar. The “magic” of professional book groups is that trust and comfort among members develops easily, quite different than the stilted chatter of many “networking events.”   As the women relate reactions to an author’s ideas, next step inquiries about specific ways members can help each other happens naturally and powerfully. Add wine, snacks and laughter into the mix and the potential for strong, lasting professional relationships is boundless.

Here are some suggestions to make your professional book group thrive:

• Have a designated facilitator lead the discussion for each meeting.
• Ask each woman to prepare for each meeting by identifying a passage or concept in the book that was most compelling to her. Start the group with everyone quickly sharing this phrase or idea; use this list as the discussion agenda.
• Reserve 15 minutes (at least) at the end of each group for each woman to share a professional “want/need”, this could include a desire for connections to new business, idea about a problem or opportunity, resources or support. After a need is expressed, individual group members should volunteer to speak with the woman after the meeting to offer assistance. Alternately, allocate more time for a longer “ask and give” component. It is essential that there is time for every woman discuss an important need.
• Several groups have found quarterly meetings desirable; one group meets monthly—two monthly meetings in a given quarter focus on “ask and receive” and one attends to a book.

Professional books groups within an organization effectively nurture collegial relationships. Two offices of a large firm meet monthly via video conference to discuss a book. I was thrilled to hear that this format has fostered relationships among women that would have otherwise not have occurred and that conversations and collaboration between women from the two offices now regularly happen.

Believing that the existence of numerous formats allows people to find a model that works best for them, I am excited to add one to the mix: Reading Between the Lines is a monthly teleconference where I interview a thought leader (an author, role model or knowledgeable individual) and then provide time for participant questions and thoughts (please participate!). Afterwards, either the same day or another day, your group can discuss the ideas presented on the call. Alternately, audio files of interviews are available here. Participants can listen as a group and then discuss the ideas or individually listen prior to a meeting.

Reading Between the Lines is enthusiastically offered to the legal community free of charge. Gather, learn, connect and enjoy.

If you would like ideas for books for your group please contact me at Karen@ThresholdAdvisors.com or frequently visit the Resources or Reading Between the Lines section of our website.

Have you conducted a professional book group discussion? Please share your experiences in the comments below so that we can all learn ways to make this experience valuable.