An Inviting Space
While working on Agile transformations at large corporations, organizing a book club was one of my favorite ways to spark connections between people and ideas. At one company, the book club experiment succeeded beyond my expectations, in large part because we were quite intentional about establishing and maintaining a few simple and welcoming “rules”:
Come and go as you please. You are welcome to drop in as your schedule allows and leave when needed. No apologies are necessary.
Reading is always optional. You can join in the conversation or listen if you prefer.
You can participate in any way that is comfortable for you. You can turn your camera on or off, speak aloud, stay on mute, or type in the chat.
All are welcome! Feel free to invite a friend.
The book club would meet for an hour each week to discuss books on leadership, agility, and collaboration. We would read and discuss a chapter at a time and vote as a group to decide which titles to read.
Over two years, the book club attracted a few dozen people, with a steady core of devoted attendees who joined nearly every week. One of our members routinely joined from India, where it was late in the evening on Friday night. Another attended regularly for almost a year, off-camera and on-mute, speaking maybe once or twice in that entire span.
Why did they come? As one woman shared, the book club was a space unlike any other in her work week, where she could slow down, reflect, and connect with others on a deeper level. Another member shared how he valued the opportunity to explore new ideas among welcoming faces. Others found ways to connect the topics we discussed with their everyday work; many became champions of Agile ways of working within their departments after nurturing their interest in the subject in our weekly conversations.
Part of the magic of the book club is that it was a learning space. In many organizational change initiatives, there is a tacit expectation that everyone will continue to perform at the same level as before, even when using new methods and techniques for the first time. Designating a separate learning space relieves performance anxiety and allows people to follow their curiosity without forcing them to commit to new behaviors before they are ready.
How might you create an inviting space for learning at your organization? What welcoming “rules” could you use to frame the invitation? Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!
