Lessons From Launching a Book
Today’s newsletter is going to be a little different. For the past few days, I have been traveling from event to event, promoting my new book, The Five-Week Leadership Challenge. From the first day I proposed the book to Harper Collins, to writing my first draft, to now, I have learned a lot. I’d like to share 6 of those lessons with you today. Hopefully, you can learn just as much as I have.
- Put in the effort. I know this sounds trite, but I truly believe that putting in the effort is the most important step to any endeavor. There are a lot of people in this world trying to do exactly what you are doing, but not all those people are going to work as hard as you might think. If you put in the effort, you will be surprised at what you are able to accomplish.
- Take a chance. I wrote my book without knowing whether it be would a success or a failure. While I am happy to see that the book has not flopped, I am still not sure what our first week sales numbers will be. But that is just the point. In anything you do, you must take chances. Without being willing to do something risky, you’ll never be able to do something meaningful.
- Set big goals. I’ve written books before, but never one of this magnitude. From the very beginning, I set the goal of reaching the Wall Street Journal Best Seller list. I am cautiously optimistic that I will reach that goal, but even if I do not, I have learned so much from this process. Next time you think a goal might be too lofty, set it anyway. As the saying goes, shoot for the moon, even if you miss, at least you’ll land among the stars.
- Embrace teams. I absolutely could no have done any of this myself. I brought along my wife, my son-in-law, and a former student to help me launch The Five-Week Leadership Challenge. They have been with me through the highs and lows of this process, and throughout the journey we have all grown closer together. Without them, frankly, I couldn’t have made it this far.
- Stop saying and start doing. Tons of people say they want to do something. They want to start a business, tackle a side hustle, or launch a product. But not many people actually do what they say. Some people like to dream, and that’s okay, but if you really want to do what you say, you have to do exactly that. You must go out and do it. I’ve talked about writing this book for a long time, but it was not until I actually sat down and wrote it that it got done. So, go out and do what you say. You might be surprised at what you can accomplish.
- Bet on yourself. I mean this. You’re already investing in yourself by reading this newsletter, using our tools, and no doubt, doing a variety of other things to improve your abilities. But, to put your improvements into practice, you have to bet on yourself. Test yourself, take some chances, and go out and do what you want to do. I know you’re capable, do you?
I hope you found these six lessons as helpful as I have. I hope you will support me by buying a copy of my book on Amazon, but even if not, I look forward to helping you on your leadership journey.
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
Patrick Leddin, PhD is a speaker, global leadership consultant, and The Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Five-Week Leadership Challenge. Patrick is an Associate Professor at Vanderbilt University with a thriving leadership blog and podcast, and 25-years of leadership experience. He offers an unparalleled mix of academic rigor and real-world experience.