This invitation comes to us from Susan Palmer of Susan Palmer Consulting. If you are looking for some fun, affordable and convenient professional development this fall, here is your invitation!
Addressing a hot-button issue for every organization, the theme of the 4-month Leadership Book Group is “Building and Leading High-Performance Teams.” We will read and discuss one article each in September and October, and selections from two books in November and December. We will share our perspectives on the readings with each other by conference call or in-person in downtown Montpelier, VT. The Book Group will be limited to a maximum of eight participants, on a first-come/first-served basis.
For a modest membership fee, the Leadership Book Group offers:
· professionally-facilitated meetings to discuss contemporary issues in leadership literature;
· powerful concepts for bringing more intention and effectiveness to the practice of leadership; and
· opportunities to network among Book Group participants.
The Book Group will meet for a brown-bag lunch from 12 to 1:30 p.m. (Eastern) on Mondays September 24, October 15, November 19 and December 10. The readings are:
· Sept. 24: “Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail” by John P. Kotter (Harvard Business Review, 1995)
· Oct. 15: “Building the Emotional Intelligence of Groups” by Druskat & Wolff (Harvard Business Review, 2001)
· Nov. 19: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni (Jossey-Bass, 2002)
· Dec. 10: Selections from Rebuilding Trust in the Workplace: Seven Steps to Renew Confidence, Commitment, and Energy by Reina & Reina (Berrett-Koehler, 2010)
Here’s what one previous participant had to say about the Leadership Book Group: “My recent experience in Susan’s Leadership Book Group was fun, challenging, and enlightening. Our group’s conversations were, in equal parts, brain-storming as to practical applications, examinations of theory within our own respective professional spheres, and soul searching moments of re-evaluation of our leadership styles. I would strongly recommend the Leadership Book Group to anyone who is looking to evaluate, recalibrate and re-energize their leadership.” — C.E.
The four-month Leadership Book Group membership fee is $150, payable by check to Susan Palmer Consulting, LLC at P.O. Box 681, Montpelier, VT 05601. Book Group participants are responsible for borrowing or purchasing all materials. The two articles (“Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail” and “Building the Emotional Intelligence of Groups”) are available at http://hbr.org for $6.95 per PDF. Lencioni’s book is available for approximately $15 at online booksellers, and the 2010 paperback edition of Reina & Reina’s book sells for about $8. Participants are also responsible for the cost of toll calls into the meetings, if applicable. (Note: no refunds of any kind will be available from Susan Palmer Consulting, LLC, except in the event the entire Leadership Book Group series is cancelled, in which case your check will be returned.)
Registration, by payment in full, is open until September 10. The conference call details, as well as directions to the in-person Montpelier meeting location, will be released shortly thereafter. Book Group members will be introduced to each other by e-mail in advance of the first meeting. If you have any questions whatsoever, please don’t hesitate to contact Susan by e-mail at susan@susanpalmerconsulting.
Join us! Please call or e-mail to register by September 10.
