CHAPTER 1
True North Groups
IN THE INTRODUCTION, WE EXAMINED THE BENEFITS of having a small, intimate group in our lives to support us during challenging times and enable us to live lives of joy and fulfillment. Letās begin by focusing on what True North Groups are and how they work.
TRUE NORTH GROUPS
What is a True North Group? It consists of six to eight people who meet on a regular basis to share their personal challenges and discuss important questions in their lives. At various times your True North Group will function as a nurturer, a grounding rod, a truth teller, and a mirror. At other times the group functions as a challenger or an inspirer. At their best, the members of your group serve each other as caring coaches and thoughtful mentors.
Your True North Group is characterized by high levels of trust between your members, something that may be hard to find at work or even in your community. When you feel self-doubts, your group helps build the courage and ability to cope. The trust of your group enables all members to be open and intimate, building on your shared commitment to maintain strict confidentiality.
Your group will stimulate your beliefs about the important issues of life and help you think through the challenges you face. Group members will give you constructive feedback when you need it most. Most importantly, your group is a safe haven when you are facing difficult times and experiencing stress and distress ā something all of us encounter from time to time.
OUR TRUE NORTH GROUP
To get a better understanding of what a True North Group is and how it operates, letās take an in-depth look at the group we formed in the spring of 1975. The eight of us had participated in a retreat weekend and were searching for ways to continue the openness, sharing, and intimacy we had experienced.
We decided to meet weekly in the living room of a neighborhood church on Wednesday mornings from 7:15 to 8:30 a.m. Thirty-six years later, the group meets every Wednesday in that same place. Three members of our original group are still active and the others have joined us over the years. One of our members died, another got divorced and moved away, and the others were transferred out of town.
Our current group includes two lawyers, five businessmen, and an architect. Each person brings to the group a unique perspective on life, on beliefs, and on human nature. In spite of significant differences in our faiths and beliefs, we have a common commitment to sharing our lives openly, respecting our differences, and discussing the challenges and difficulties we face.
The Groupās Importance to Our Members
Whatās the glue that has kept the group together all these years? Group member Peter Gillette, former president of a large bank, says, āItās one of those mysterious combinations of the people, setting, experiences, mutual respect, and humor.ā
The flexibility of our topics makes it conducive for all elements of personality and articulation to thrive. There is a bonding, camaraderie, and trust. Itās the differences between us that provide the spark that makes the conversation so stimulating.
Business executive Tom Schaefer explains, āOur group has become the most important community in my life, other than my immediate family.ā He adds,
Itās a community of seven brothers that has helped guide my life in terms of spiritual formation, work, and personal growth. It continually challenges my beliefs about life, values, and spirit. It provides a safe place where I can examine these issues, reflect on them, and understand what others feel about such important matters. These guys operate as my special board of advisors, as they provide a lot of life coaching.
Our group was so important that there were times I left my job in part to stay with the group rather than move out of town. I knew I couldnāt duplicate it somewhere else and didnāt want to give it up. Iāve always wanted to feel proud of my work and my actions in front of my pals, so I ask myself how the group would react about something Iām considering. It provides a moral compass, a way of checking on my sense of whatās right and wrong.
The Groupās Process
As we gather each week, we have a brief check-in to enable people to bring up anything significant in their lives. Then one of us initiates discussion of the program. Responsibility for leading the program is rotated every two weeks, so each of us takes the lead about six times a year.
Although many groups may choose to hire their own professional facilitator to prepare programs and lead discussions, our group prefers having our members take responsibility for facilitating, to ensure everyone feels equal responsibility for the group. (See Resource 7 for a complete discussion of facilitator options.) Attorney Ron Vantine explains, āWe decided not to have an expert or a full-time facilitator because we didnāt want to look to an expert for the answers. Instead, we wanted to come up with questions that were crucial to us.ā
On a regular basis, we take a check to be sure that everyone in the group is feeling satisfied and fulfilled. Periodically, we ask ourselves, How are we doing? Are we getting out of our heads and into our hearts and souls? Each of us does that to varying degrees. Some of us are better at asking questions and guiding the conversation; others excel at giving small seminars.
Addressing Lifeās Most Important Questions
Our group provides opportunities to challenge our views and grow from the questions. Chuck Denny, former CEO of a large telecommunications company, highlights the importance of deep discussions: āWe talk about our values and where they come from.ā He asks,
What has been their importance in our lives? Have they been tested? Do we stay true to them under stress? Itās introspective, not just intellectual. What are we doing to make society better? How do we allocate time between ourselves, our family, and society? These discussions have helped me create the road map for each phase of my life.
Architect John Cuningham says, āAt some point in their lives everybody asks the big questions like Why am I here? What is life all about? What is my purpose?ā He says,
Our group has grappled with these questions through happy and sad experiences. There is no judgment and no critical analysis of our beliefs. We have struggled with them in our personal spiritual journeys, as we move in and out of doubt about what we believe. The questions never seem to change, but the answers are different when youāre 69 than when youāre 39.
Opening Up and Sharing Intimately
Over the years, we have built relationships of trust and intimacy. Vantine notes, āThe group enriches my life and my understanding of what I want out of life and what I can contribute. The discussions make me feel my values are worthy because they are shared by other men I admire and respect.ā He explains,
These conversations are much different than ones with social friends, colleagues at work, or even family members. I know only a couple of men where I can get to such a level of depth. With us, it happens every week. Thatās because we have the trust, environment, and relationships that have built up over all these years. The group has a unique place in my life.
There is never a clash of egos in our group. None of us feel we have to prove anything to the rest of the group. If that happened, the person would be called on it. None of us is trying to impress the others with our titles, power, and influence, or suggest that we have all the answers. We all have more questions than answers.
It wasnāt always this way. It took a number of years to let go of our egos and to be willing to share our weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Typically, we find that it takes men longer than women to break through their defenses to become more reflective and less defensive.
Vantine adds, āThere are few places in life where I have a chance to talk about significant issues, particularly things that are personal. Itās unusual to get into those topics in an environment where everyone feels secure, has a high level of trust, and wants to learn from each other.ā
What are the benefits of this level of intimacy and openness? St. Paul attorney Jonathan Morgan says, āThe group provides a venue for discussing existential questions and lifeās mysteries that stretches the mind almost to the breaking point.ā
We share our challenges, obstacles, joys, and times of sadness. Weāre there to help and support each other and offer prayers and benedictions for each other. The collegiality and trust that have developed give the group sustaining power.
Tom Schaefer observes, āLearning I could ask for help was a huge leap for me.ā
A big part of my growth has been learning I donāt have to have all the answers and canāt figure it all out by myself. I found out everybody needs help at various times. Learning to be vulnerable in this group has enabled me to be vulnerable elsewhere.
Experiencing Lifeās Challenges
Longevity also has its rewards. Together we have shared our life stories, both when we met and as we experience lifeās challenges. Collectively, our lives are enriched by sharing the full range of lifeās joys and sorrows. From the combined experiences of people who have been through all these things has developed a collective wisdom in our group. This results from trusting relationships and the acceptance of each person for who he is.
Chuck Denny described the groupās importance to his coping with his wife, Carolās, descent into the darkness of Alzheimerās disease. āThe group gave me incredible support in those years when I was caring for Carol at home.ā
I could acknowledge to the group just how difficult and tiring this was and what it was like to feel socially isolated. Being together each week enabled me to banter with humor with a group of trusted friends. It provided a social contribution that filled a void in my life because I couldnāt go out. Wednesday mornings are a sacred time, not in a spiritual sense but in finding nourishment, support, acceptance, and an hour of fun.
Tom Schaefer described how the group helped him face a difficult ethical challenge. āAs chief financial officer for a manufacturing business, I discovered we were repackaging returned goods and selling them as new.ā
I told the group I felt this was an ethical crossroads for me, and they affirmed my concerns. As a result, I told the owner I couldnāt live with this practice. He agreed, and we ended up stopping the repackaging.
Reflections on the Group
We frequently ask ourselves, Is there something unique about the eight of us that makes this group work so well and stay together for so many years? We donāt think we are different than any eight people who genuinely want to explore together the important questions of their lives. What is crucial is the willingness of each of us to share openly, join in the give-and-take of a peer group, and listen in a nonjudgmental way to the challenges others face.
THE EMERGENCE OF SMALL GROUPS
Small groups are certainly not a new phenomenon. We learned through our field research that participation in small groups is gaining strength. These groups arise both formally and informally and have many different purposes. Most people have participated in one kind of group or another.
In doing the research for this book (see Resource 12), we examined many of these groups to understand how they operate and what makes them successful. Examples of the types of groups we explored include:
ā¢ Book and study groups
ā¢ Prayer groups, Bible study, and other religious groups
ā¢ Alcoholics Anonymous groups
ā¢ Twelve-step groups that focus on other addictions
ā¢ Cooking groups, bridge groups, and wine tasting groups
ā¢ Therapy groups, grief groups, and other support groups
ā¢ The Forum of the Young Presidentsā Organization
ā¢ Small groups within companies
ā¢ Travel groups
ā¢ Biking, walking, running, and golf groups
These groups are affinity groups whose members come together around a common set of interests or a common concern such as chemical dependency, life-threatening illness, or loss of loved ones. Those interests and concerns provide the focal point for the groupās programs or meetings. Typically, the members take turns leading their groups, whether by proposing menus for a cooking group, studying biblical passages for a Bible study group, or planning routes for a biking trip.
EXHIBIT 1
Openness and Intimacy of Groups
One way of categorizing small groups is by their degree of openness and intimacy. At the base of the pyramid are travel, running, cooking, or bridge groups, and so forth (see Exhibit 1). People in these groups come together for an activity rather than for personal sharing. To the extent that there are personal discussions, it is independent of or incidental to the groupās activities. At the next level are book groups, study groups, and company groups that have intellectual discussions that occasionally delve into personal matters, depending on the topic of the group.
On the third level are Bible study groups, prayer groups, grief groups, therapy groups, Alcoholics Anonymous, and twelve-step groups that are affiliated around a particular purpose and share deeply about that area, including discussions of personal feelings, convictions, and beliefs. Many prayer groups and Bible study groups offer their members opportunities for examination of their religious beliefs and provide strong bonding around shared values.
True North Groups, as described in this book, provide a forum for deep, intimate discussions of all aspects of oneās life, not only matters of belief and faith. These may include personal issues, such as family problems, leadership and career concerns, or healthy living, as well as convictions about a wide spectrum of subjects. They are fairly unique in providing a safe place for confidential discussions of highly personal subjects across the full range of lifeās issues, but without any particular affinity.
THE CELLUL...