I Am Not A Trainer

Despite the fact that my book circles are listed as "trainings" in the various L&D catalogs for the companies I work with, my book circles aren't training.

There is NO WAY I could be an expert in all those fields of study.

The role I have given myself is as a space holder and facilitator of learning and connection.

I am NOT the subject-matter expert.
I am NOT affiliated with the authors, either.

This gives me space to roam - to create and connect ideas from across disciplines and across books.

As an example, here some of the books that I am reading/leading this Fall with various organizations:

LEADERSHIP IS LANGUAGE by David Marquet with a group of leaders from a private bank here in Europe.

THE ART OF GATHERING by Priya Parker with a group of university professors.

THE GIFTS OF IMPERFECTION by Brené Brown as part of a women's network for a global electronics company.

WHY HAS NOBODY TOLD ME THIS BEFORE by Dr. Julie Smith with two groups from a global financial company, also sponsored by their women's network.

ATOMIC HABITS by James Clear with a group of senior leaders and their mentees from a global engineering company.

DELIBERATE CALM by Jacqui Brassey, Aaron de Smet, and Michiel Kruty with a group of individuals, as part of my Emerge Leadership Book Circle.

ANCHORED by Deb Dana, as part of a personal development group that I started as part of my business, but have since handed over to the others, so we co-facilitate.

What's great about reading all these books at the same time, is that I can cross-reference the books ideas to further enhance the learning of everyone.

As I read Deliberate Calm, and come up with activities for it, I can share those with those reading the Nobody Told Me book.

While I create self-reflection tools for Atomic Habits, I can share those with the readers of The Gifts of Imperfection.

And so on.

My work is dynamic and ever-evolving, and definitely not a training.

During a book circle a few years ago, when we talked about our expectations for the process, one member said, "I don't want to be trained."

He was in the right place.

Are you reading anything interesting right now?

#emergebookcircles #readdeepernotfaster #leadershipdevelopment #facilitation

P.S. If you would like to bring a book circle to your organization, drop me a line in the comments, and we can connect over a virtual coffee to talk about how it works.

Read Deeper Not Faster