Helping entrepreneurs build thought leadership expertise
The new leaders: When Microsoft’s Nadella speaks about leadership he talks about empathy, while PayPal’s Schulman talks about inspiring hope. Leaders lead by inspiring others. But where do they find their own inspiration to lead? I was watching a Facebook Live interview with Paypal’s CEO Dan Schulman, and Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella, and what struck me were…
You’re thinking of writing a book. You’re a business owner, manager, professional or entrepreneur who genuinely wants to share your journey to success, or share your expertise. To make your book-writing journey profitable and pleasurable, just make sure you avoid these 7 big mistakes: Not hiring a ghostwriter with a business background “Business ghostwriters specialize in…
Am I uniquely qualified to offer a history of the world? Ha. Absolutely not. I am one of those who hated history at school. (I blame it on the episodic and ‘unstorylike’ way that history teachers tended to teach it.) So why am I qualified to write a history of the world? Am I a…
Hmm, that is one very loaded question. Business ghostwriters charge different rates based on their expertise and knowledge and experience. But they also base their fees on their confidence in their ability to meet or exceed the client’s expectations. But there are other variables to consider, the biggest being how much research is involved. It took Jim Collins…
How you tell your story is more important than what story you tell Whether you are the CEO of a startup or an executive trying to make a career move, the challenge is the same: You need to persuade people you do not know to get to know, like and trust you. It’s not…
When I studied screenwriting a decade ago, one of the most important concepts I learned was specificity. When writing a story, push hard for the telling detail, said my teacher, the incomparable Nika Rylski. Don’t say it is a late model sedan. Say it is a midnight blue Lexus with a broken right headlight. Don’t tell us…
[This post appeared yesterday on the APQC blog.] Majority of respondents to an APQC study say today’s leadership style is outdated CEOs are the racehorses of the business world. They move fast, they’re accustomed to finishing first, and they often wear blinders to avoid distractions and stay focused. And that may be a problem because today’s…
Another real world example of business storytelling at work, this time in the B2B space with Siemens, one of the world’s largest tech companies. There’s work involved in telling stories, and not all clients want to do the work or pay for the content. But those who do gain a competitive edge. How Siemens uses…
Mr. V. sure knew how to spin a story The following eight points are Vonnegut’s clear-eyed advice to writers of short stories, and while it some of it — like being a sadist — doesn’t exactly apply to business stories (LOL), much of it does. Get to the point, he says, create a rooting interest (a…
1. Always tell the truth 2. Every story is an experience 3. Every story has a hero 4. Every hero has a goal 5. Every hero must meet obstacles Why truth? Because in an age of information overkill, truth is rare. Why experience? Because the audience must connect and be transformed. Why a hero? Because…