Introducing the UnBook Club: Does Experience Matter?

Posted By Andy Aldrich on Feb 13, 2015 | 0 comments

Have you ever participated in a book club?  Me neither.  It’s not that I’m not interested in connecting with others or sharing my ideas.  In fact, as a senior in high school I got the highest grade (107%) in my college prep English class because we were graded on participation and I shared twice as much as anyone else (yeah I was that kid…oh by the way thanks Mr. Sullivan).  Instead, the problem with book clubs is that you have to read at the same pace as everyone else.  Maybe this is no problem for you, but for me I’m kind of hot and cold when it comes to reading.  I either read the entire book in a few days or stop halfway through the first chapter.  Inevitably, with most book clubs I lose interest.

Therefore, with this problem in mind I’d like to introduce to the Learn[ed]Leadership community The UnBook Club.  Unlike normal BKs The UnBook Club requires no long term commitment and doesn’t even involve books.  Instead, once every two weeks I’ll post a new piece of media to view, listen to, or read.  You, the participant have a week to listen, watch, read, insert verb, and then I’ll write my thoughts on our latest selection and you’ll have the next week to agree, disagree, comment, share, debate, or anything else with the other participants.

“So how is this different than any other blog you write?” you might ask.

That’s a great question.  Here are two ways:

1. Unlike a normal blog, The UnBook Club provides you with the same source I’m viewing ahead of time before I analyze it, which allows you time to digest it and prepare to share your thoughts on it the first time you view my analysis.
2. Secondly, I want you!  Yes, you…to commit to “digesting” the source and then returning a week later to read the new blog and participate in the discussion.

So how will you commit?  After I announce what source we’ll be looking at for the coming UnBook Club, you the reader will Like our Learn[ed]Leadership Facebook page, and also Share this Post on Facebook, Linkedin, or Twitter, and invite your friends to join this week’s UnBook Club.

The following week when I share the new post.  We’ll post a link from our Facebook page for everyone to begin the week of participation.  We’ll also feature some of our favorite comments to our social media pages as the week progresses.

Alright who’s in?

Let’s start our first UnBook Club with this question:  Does Experience Matter?

If you’re like me (or younger), and just starting your leadership career or maybe any career for that matter, you’re going to run into a odd problem; most jobs require a minimum amount of experience to be considered qualified.  Unfortunately, you can’t really get any experience if every place requires experience.  Now most of us would probably agree that experience is a good a thing, but is this always true?  Are their times when experience isn’t all that special? Are there insistences when experience is a bad thing?  How often?

Let’s explore this idea more next week, but first this is you UnBook Club homework.  Ready?

Watch this video by Liz Wiseman, author of Multipliers and Rookie Smarts

You can also listen to a copy of the podcast from Stanford’s Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Series here.

Alright are you in?  Then Like this post by clicking one of the social buttons on the left of your screen and then also share this post with your friends on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, or other social media.  The more voices the better.

If you’re new to Learn[ed]Leadership and you like interesting stuff then make sure to sign up for our free monthly (or so) newsletter by clicking here or in the fancy box to your top right.  Or if you want immediate updates on all things Learn[ed]Leadership Like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter