Cumming Library Launches Book Club for Leadership

Next month, readers and leaders in the Cumming area are invited to participate in the Forsyth County Public Library’s first Read to Lead book club event. FCPL Director Jon McDaniel will speak on the book God and Gold: Britain, America, and the Making of the Modern World by Walter Russell Mead at 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 12 at the Cumming Library, 585 Dahlonega Road, Cumming.

Each meeting of the Read to Lead book club will include a local leader facilitating a discussion related to a book that has significantly influenced their life and approach to leadership. Participants will have an opportunity to read the selected book and engage in open discussion about leadership topics and situations.

Jon McDaniel, Director,
Forsyth County Public Library

“To create the future, one must understand how the past got us here,” says McDaniel about why he chose a work of non-fiction that reads more like a history book than a leadership guide. Read to Lead is a book club for those who love to read, have a passion for helping others, and a strong motivation to create a better world, so it makes sense to explore both big and small, global and local leadership situations.

“Our goal is to provide an open platform for the community to come together, get to know and become inspired by our leaders, and to learn from one another,” says Jennifer Kovac, Information Services Supervisor at the Cumming Library and Read to Lead organizer. “Everyone has a story that, if shared, could make a difference in another’s life.”

Wendy Blond, President,
Georgia Dental Hygienists Association

Wendy Blond, President of the Georgia Dental Hygienists Association, will lead a discussion on The Wizard and the Warrior: Leading with Passion and Power by Lee G. Bolman and Terrence E. Deal on Thursday, April 9.

“Many leadership books provide guidance on dealing with an organization's structure and its people,” says Blond. “This book addresses the political trials and underlying symbolism that change the stakes of nearly all real world situations leaders face in their journey.”

Sylvia Cardona, Executive Director of Mentor Me, a local non-profit that matches at-risk children with an adult volunteer mentor, will speak on The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho on Thursday, May 14. The Alchemist is a work of fiction that teaches the value of listening to your own heart through the experiences of one young boy.

Sylvia Cardona, Executive Director,
Mentor Me North Georgia

“The idea that finding your calling and following your passions isn't just a personal journey, but part of a shared experience – that was eye-opening to me. We are all connected,” says Cardona.

Read to Lead will meet the second Thursday of each month from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. No advance registration is required and participants are welcome to bring their lunch to the meeting.  Read to Lead is sponsored by the FCPL Friends and Advocates.

For more information, or to suggest a speaker for a future Read to Lead book club meeting, please contact Jennifer Kovac at kovacj@forsythpl.org.