Is a True North Group Similar to a Book Club?

It’s been a month since the launch of our book True North Groups: A Powerful Path to Personal and Leadership Development (Bill George and Doug Baker, BK Publishing).  I’ve been delighted to meet many of you in our various discussions and presentations, and very pleased at the number of people who are drawn to the True North Groups’ concepts.

Along the way, a number of people have posed questions to me. I’ve responded to some of them below, and will continue to provide responses in future blogs. Feel free to post your own thoughts and comments.  

“As I listen to the discussion about True North Groups and the support they provide to individual members, it sounds a lot like my book club.  I’ve been in my book club for over 10 years, and we talk about our personal lives a lot.  How is this different from a True North Group?”

I’m also a member of a book club and enjoy it very much.  However, my True North Groups are the most meaningful to my life.  There are a number of things that make True North Groups different from most other groups, including book clubs:

• The primary purpose of a True North Group is self-awareness, self-renewal, a focus on heart versus head, with improved emotional intelligence as an outcome.  Groups such as book clubs start with the purpose of reading and discussing books.   From those discussions, the members may more deeply explore certain topics or get into deeper personal discussions.  
• True North Groups follow a set of topics that are designed to build that self-awareness while also creating a safe, tightly bonded group.• We recommend a certain structure for True North Groups, such as limiting the number of members to 6-8, and having each member agree to a set of principles and behaviors that create the norms for the group.
• True North Group members are developing and refining skills such as active listening, giving & receiving feedback and being both a leader & a follower among peers.
• Both groups build friendships. My experience indicates that True North Groups retain their members for a longer period than book clubs.

“Why do you call them True North Groups?” 

• True North Groups are designed to help members identify and follow their “True North.” As Bill George wrote in his book by that title, True North represents what is most important to us in life: our beliefs, our most cherished values, our passions and motivations, and the sources of satisfaction in our lives. True North is the orienting point that keeps us on track as human beings and as leaders. It represents who we are at our deepest level. 
• In future blogs, I’m going to write more in depth about the elements of True North and how our group processes incorporates them.

More to come.  Please continue to ask questions and share your thoughts on True North Groups.

All my best,
Doug