While in China during the Global Residency, Denise Buffington (Class of 2016) and her fellow female colleagues in the class of 2016, decided to launch a book club to stay connected after graduation. The primary goal of their book club is provide a place where members can discuss issues and opinions in a supportive environment, similar to the cohort experience during the Executive MBA program.
Members can make recommendations for which books to read, and they alternate between fiction and non-fiction. Book selections to date have featured Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandburg, Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee, and Presence by Amy Cuddy. Denise brings discussion guides (often available online) to spark group conversation around key themes from the reading.
To accommodate busy schedules, they meet quarterly and members who are unable come in person are encouraged to join the meetings virtually. Throughout the program Denise, the Director of Energy Policy and Corporate Counsel at Kansas City Power & Light, earned a reputation for organization that is reflected in the Book Club Charter she created to provide a basic sense of social order for the club.
If you’ve ever thought about starting a book club or think this might be a good idea for your cohort, you can find Denise’s recipe (the Book Club Charter) below:
BOOK CLUB CHARTER
- Participation. Members who have not read the book – come anyway! Not everyone can finish every book, but not readers my still have valuable insights. Additionally, this group is as much a professional networking club as it is a book review/exchange club.
- Group Size. Please feel free to invite other professional women that might be interested in participating. We currently have 7 members. We could expand to approximately 12-15 and still be manageable so everyone should think about inviting a friend.
- Non-Fiction/Fiction. We will alternate non-fiction and fiction. This rule can be waived if the majority of the group has a strong preference for a book.
- Timing. We plan to meet approximately every 3 months.
- Book Selections. Please send 2-3 book selections to Denise. The objective is to compile a list for the next year or two. If you don’t like a particular book, as noted above, you do not need to read it participate!
- Discussions. There is never one way to experience or interpret a book. When there are disagreements about the book, be gracious! Differing opinions make better discussions. Try to avoid words like “awful” or “idiotic” or even “like” or “dislike.” These types of words do not move the discussion forward and can put others on the defensive. Instead, talk about your experience — how you felt as you read the book.
- Leader. The person that suggests the book we are reading should be prepared to start and lead the discussion (or delegate the responsibility).
- Limits. We did not set limits on paperback vs. hardcovers or pages, but try to keep the books around 400 pages so that it remains manageable for everyone to finish the book.