Your future, our focus
P O W E L L, W y o. - Big Horn Basin residents, and especially those in business, education and agriculture leadership roles, are invited to check out a new Executive Book Club (EBC) during a Thursday, Nov. 13, open house from 7-8 p.m. in the Orendorff Building Lounge at Northwest College.
The EBC will meet regularly to discuss core ideas presented in some of today's most well-known and oft-read business and leadership texts. The meetings will be open to agreements and disagreements on the author's ideas, as well as consideration of applications in real-world situations around the Big Horn Basin.
The EBC is designed for people who are interested in keeping current on the latest thinking and literature that affects their work and for those who may not be sure what the next steps are in applying lessons from the latest business or leadership texts.
The EBC will meet for book discussions every six weeks throughout the year. The evening meetings will run between two and three hours, and light hors d'oeuvres will be served.
Facilitating the EBC will be Rick LaPlante, a retired Microsoft Corp. executive, avid reader of business and leadership texts, and presenter of several roundtables on leadership for the Northwest College Center for Training and Development.
LaPlante has suggested several titles to start the series, but the group itself will decide on later subsequent book choices. The first one is titled "Getting to Yes - Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In" by Roger Fisher and William Ury. First published in 1981, this book has become a classic read for any novice interested in learning the art and science of negotiation. It suggests that problems can be better solved by understanding underlying interests and creating durable relationships to avoid working at cross purposes.
Other titles being considered for the EBC lineup are "Value Migration: How to Think Several Moves Ahead of the Competition" by Adrian Slywotzky, "The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference" by Malcolm Gladwell, "Art of Profitability" by Adrian Slywotzky, "Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking" by Malcolm Gladwell, "Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done" by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan, and "Leader's Voice: How Your Communication Can Inspire Action and Get Results" by Boyd Clarke and Ron Crossland.
To ensure an open exchange of ideas, the group will be limited to 15 members, although a second book club may be started if demand warrants. The NWC Center for Training and Development is working with the Park County and Hinckley libraries and with local booksellers to ensure enough texts are available for EBC members' use.
A $5 charge per meeting will be assessed to cover the costs of refreshments. The first EBC meeting will be held in December.
These and other details will be reviewed during the Nov. 13 open house. LaPlante and personnel from the NWC Center for Training and Development will be on hand to answer questions and provide more details about the goals and operation of the EBC.
If timing works out, copies of the first selection, "Getting to Yes - Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In" will be available for purchase at the open house.
The Executive Book Club is sponsored by the Northwest College Center for Training and Development in Powell.
To RSVP for the open house, reserve a spot in the EBC, or to ask questions, e-mail Stacy Gilman or call (307) 754-6062.