Honestly, I was leading our club all wrong until someone called me out

Tbh, I used to pick all the books myself and just announce them. Last month, a member told me straight up, 'You're making this feel like a class, not a club.' That hit hard. So I changed it. Now we vote on three options I suggest, and last week we picked a thriller over my usual literary picks. The discussion was way more lively. Has anyone else had to totally switch up how they run things?

4 comments

4 Comments

finley7842mo ago

It's just a book club though... not a peace treaty. People get so intense about group dynamics. You picking the books before wasn't a crime, and switching to a vote is fine, but calling it "leading all wrong" seems like a lot.

the_max2mo ago

Ever tried a simple rotation, @finley784?

matthew_walker2mo ago

Yeah, the "leading all wrong" part is what got me. That's a really harsh way to put it when someone was just trying to help pick books.

sanchez.ivan2d ago

My group went through the same thing a few years back. What worked for us was letting each member take a turn picking the month's book, no questions asked. They don't even have to defend their choice if they don't want to. It made the discussions way more interesting because we always got stuff outside my usual zone. Plus it takes the pressure off one person to always be the taste maker.