Recently, I set out to host a “mentor dinner” by inviting local NPs to participate in a “Leadership Book Club/Dinner”. While none of the more junior NPs in our area joined in, we did have several with experience who were excited about the opportunity. For the first event, I suggested Godin’s “What to Do When It’s Your Turn”. It is an “easy” read, but quite deep. We have an active discussion about making decisions, taking our turns, etc. As well as simply wonderful fellowship over a great meal. The next month, we read Jonathan Field’s “Sparked”, with each person completing the Sparketype test, as well. This also generated great discussion as we shared our Sparketypes (and anti-Sparketype) and could remark on how we saw that fitting in the person we knew. And how it was either a fit or not with their current focus. Again, wonderful fellowship was a great benefit. With the holidays coming up, we’re going to skip December and meet again in January. This time, I’m leaning towards Grant’s “Think Again”. I look forward to learning how each of us may tend to miss opportunities to challenge our thoughts—and ways to harness these opportunities in the future.
Long story short, this series of lovely dinners may not actually be “mentor dinner” format, but our number is growing and we are supporting each other. Knowledge is power and this is a great way to consider content that we might otherwise not consider.