#1056 cover

The other day when I was browsing in the bookstore, I came upon a bookmark that read:  "Ah, Spring!  Wondrous!  Like a good book."

How true that is for me.  It is hard for me to imagine someone who doesn't enjoy the warmth and green of the new season, or someone who doesn't cherish those getting-lost moments that come with a good book.  Both have the ability to transport me from gloom to glee.

I ended up picking a selection that had been chosen by a local book club.  Just as much fun as looking at the book titles was reading the names the groups had chosen for themselves:
> Knit Lit
> This is Not What I Signed Up For
> Same Page
> One Night Stand
> Lit & Lattes
> Read Between the Wines
> Book Marks
> Books on the Rocks

There were dozens more, many aptly named so you could get a sense of the group's character before joining.

I wonder why we don't apply the same ingenuity to naming committees and teams at work.  Do they all need to have basic, functional names like "planning group" or "budget committee"?  Would it change the culture or outcome if we scheduled a "Lewis & Clark council" or "nickel and dime" meetings?

The next time you assemble a group, think about the tone you set by what you call it.  You can't judge a book by its cover, but you may be able to judge a group by its name.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com