I’ve spent much of my career doing intangible work: coaching and consulting, developing strategy, managing projects and people, testing IT systems, performing cost-benefit analyses…and on and on. On good days a system update would be released with no major mishaps, an employee would get a promotion, or a coaching client would have an Aha moment.
Without diminishing any of those accomplishments, I have to say one of the most satisfying parts of writing and publishing books is having a tangible product, something about which it can be said: “We created THIS.”
To hold a book you’ve crafted is exciting. You’ve become an artist, an author. There is solid, touchable proof of your effort.
This weekend I had a tangible work moment: client Jonathan Alcott released his book Wouldn’t Have Missed It for the World: Memoir of a Small-Town Boy Who Dreamed of Success and Achieved It.
It’s a sweet, inspirational narrative that begins in Walnut Grove, Missouri, spans five decades in the restaurant business, and offers insights about handling the ups and downs of life. By the end you may find yourself adopting Jonathan’s motto: Dreams Come Before Success.
It was a pleasure to work with Jonathan on his book, and I get the impression he was as excited to have a tangible work product as I was! Thank you for the flowers–and congratulations, Jonathan!