I thought the tough part of writing a book was putting words on the page.
I was wrong, the harder part of writing a book is correcting it.
Gallery Proofs arrived Thanksgiving. After my corrections, there was another review for my upcoming book In Their Steps. My attempt to link communication (storytelling) and leadership together through examples of the 12 disciples of Jesus. After an awkward couple of days, my publisher returned with more than 120 corrections: typos, formatting issues, citations and the list went on and on.
Being honest with you, I did not handle this information well. “Really, AGAIN. Do I suck this bad as a writer!” My head starts to think that I should just go down the street to the corner gas station and see if they were still hiring for 3rd shift.
I’ve lost count of how many times my confidence fell, my heart sank, and I feel like a failure.
They I pause. Take a breath. Stop for a moment and realize that the mistakes are points for continued learning. In this case…120 of them! Each one of these corrections are an opportunity to learn to be humble and persevere for the best possible outcome. Obviously, a lesson that I still need to learn!
This experience connects well to my thoughts on leadership and storytelling. Rarely do individuals get it right the first time. As I continue on my journey in life and in this book, I’m finding that the great stories and great moments of leadership are hundreds of small moments that build on each other. A personal and professional willingness to revise and take the next step.
By my count, during this three-year process, no less than 20 people were involved in the different versions of In Their Steps. I’m thankful for their insight, their willingness to contribute, and their leadership to teach me as the thoughts continue to come together.
And isn’t that the point of a compass and leadership life stories?
Leadership life stories are not written alone and certainly not written in one draft. A compass provides an old school way of orienting ourselves, recalibrating when needed and taking the next step forward.
Here is my hope for you…maybe this short post reminds you of the community that surrounds you each and every day. Keep plugging along with your leadership life story. If I can help, feel free to reach out for a conversation.