A majority of managers miss one powerful, career-building principle: Educate your employees. By doing so, they fall short of the greatness they were meant to achieve. What’s more, educating your employees, as well as providing opportunities for them to educate themselves, is one of the best ways to communicate that you care about them as individuals.
Let’s clarify something before we go any further. I’m not talking about developing mastery of job tasks and responsibilities within the business. Instead, I’m talking about helping your people take their professional lives to the next level.
As a manager, why does it matter if you take an interest in lives of your team members? It shows you care. Gallup Research found roughly two-thirds of employees are passively or actively disengaged. In other words, they have absolutely no loyalty to you or to the company. You, their manager, have the power and influence (dare I say, the “responsibility” as their leader) to help every employee change their thinking.
Enter Book Club Meetings
I’ve always been interested in improving my knowledge and skills by reading books and attending seminars. It all started when my father, the late Reverend Dr. J.W. Long, Jr., handed me a book by Dale Carnegie: How to Win Friends and Influence People. I was 14 years old, and I distinctly remember how reading that book helped open my eyes to certain principles of dealing with other people—and how I could improve my relationships with practically anyone.
Then in 2005, I read 12 Essential Rules for Becoming Indispensable by my friend, Dr. Tony Zeiss. After reading and highlighting this book, I knew I had to share what I had learned with my employees. So, I ordered a copy for each of them.
I called a brief meeting with the entire team, handed out the books, notebooks, and a highlighter. Then I said: “I want you to each read chapter one of this book by next Wednesday at 11:30. As you read it, please write your thoughts down in the notebook, and come prepared to talk about what you, personally, learned from this chapter. I will have pizza delivered so we can enjoy lunch together as we share what we learned with each other.”
Dead silence ensued, and I saw nothing but blank stares on the faces of those around me. Then, about 10 minutes after the announcement, two of my more introverted employees came to me and said that they were uncomfortable talking like that in front of others.
I listened to them and thanked them. Then, I replied: “I appreciate the fact that it makes you uncomfortable, but you’re among friends here. Everyone will be sharing, so relax and enjoy our time together as we eat lunch and learn as a team.” They reluctantly said they would try, and promptly left the office.
As you can guess, people didn’t know what to expect during our first Book Club meeting. As we ate our pizza, I set the example for our group by sharing stories from my own past. That first chapter of Tony’s book happened to be on the topic of “attitude.” I shared a story of how having a negative attitude had affected my life for a few years after losing a job. I wanted them to see that I had “been-there-and-done-that,” too. I showed them that I was human, and I had made many mistakes along the way. After hearing my stories, others started to share their stories.
Deeper Learning, Deeper Sharing
Over the next few weeks, one by one, each member of the group felt compelled to speak up. They started to open up about themselves and their experiences. It was fascinating to see how sharing just started to flow from everyone. We laughed together, and sometimes shed tears, as each chapter reminded us of stories from our own lives. By the fourth week, everyone’s reservations to share had all but completely evaporated.
More importantly, we were coming together as a team. People, who had historically ignored employees from other departments, established new friendships. Some even started socializing away from the office, such as going to the gym together. Occasionally, you could glance around the office and see others get a little misty-eyed as someone recounted their personal struggles in life. OK, I’ll admit it. I did that myself a few times too. Hey, I’m human!
And remember those two employees that came into my office and said they were uncomfortable sharing and speaking in front of the other employees? Well, after only a few weeks, one of them came and said, “Thank you for making us participate, Dave. If you would have made it optional, I would not have come. I would have hated to miss these meetings.”
Here’s a little more of what you can expect when you open up with your team:
- When you share, they share. As soon as you dismantle, brick by brick, that false wall of separation between yourself and your employees, that’s when the magic happens. Your employees get to see the real you. Changes are subtle at first. You’ll see the welcomed progression as time passes—and as you share more about yourself and the lessons learned in life. The most beautiful thing is that you’ll do it together, working alongside each other as you try to improve your careers and personal lives. This single hour spent together each week greatly amplifies the work accomplished in the other 39 hours of the work week.
- When employees forge stronger relationships, they are more engaged. The impact a book club can have on employee engagement may surprise some. Many managers may think: “Why does it matter whether or not my employees get to know each other?” Well, it’s been proven time and again that if you have several good friends (or even one) at work, you’re less likely to leave that job for another one.
- When employees know more, they serve clients better. The more managers can do to improve the skills and attitudes of their people, the better those employees will take care of your clients and customers. Higher sales and profits will take care of themselves when that’s accomplished. Seriously! Quit thinking short-term! Keep in mind that you’re planting seeds that take time to grow into an abundant harvest of superstar employees.
- When given the opportunity, leaders will emerge. Expect to see employees with leadership potential surface in each group. Don’t be surprised if some of your more quiet employees (and even some new hires) leverage their time in the limelight. It’s genuinely empowering to see them growing right before your eyes.
Bottom line: You are taking your people—sometimes kicking and screaming—to places they never would go in their lives. They will remember you forever for it. I have heard from current employees, former employees, friends, and family telling me how the time we’ve spent in our Book Club meetings has changed their lives. Yes, these Book Club meetings are powerful, but ONLY if you make them happen with your team.
What’s more, if you invest the time needed to help develop their skills—and show them they matter to you enough to spend quality time to help them become successful in their careers—there’s no limit to how high your own career will soar.
Check out a video of one of our book club meetings at MyEmployees Book Club.
If you start a book club, please share your experiences in the Comments below or send me a note. I’m happy to answer specific questions on getting your book club started, share tips on saving money on buying books, and offer some scheduling best practices.
