This week my first book is being published. The idea of writing the book started in May 2019 and with encouragement from those around me it became a reality in August 2019 when publishers Kogan Page supported the idea and concept of what was originally called Take your organisation from chaos to calm – and bring your team with you.
Since writing the book I have been asked again and again ‘what made you decide to write it?’ and ‘how hard was it?’
Back in early 2019, I was stuck. As a communication consultant, describing what I do for a living was proving tricky. I was stuck talking about working as an extension of a team, designing digital strategies for organisations, coaching on business strategies, working out the reasons for communication breakdowns in teams… the list could go on.
So, in May, I invested in half a day with marketing expert, Janet Murray. I didn’t know Janet and Janet didn’t know me. I knew of her work and knew others who followed her and endorsed her thinking, so it was an easy decision for me. I wanted to work with someone who didn’t know me at all so Janet was perfect. We met in London where Janet helped me unlock the messaging around what I do.
I help organisations go from chaos to calm.
I remember travelling home on the train filled with excitement. And I remember Janet saying this could be a talk, a book, it could be a lot of things.
When I walked through my front door, I grabbed some paper and a sharpie (never leave home without one!) and scribbled down three boxes – Understand, Diagnose, Fix. I could then map all the work I was doing into those three areas. The Field Model™ was born.
In June, I approached Kogan Page to ask them about the process of writing and publishing a book. And while I was at the IABC World Conference with my good friends Trudy Lewis and Advita Patel, they helped me craft the proposal that would go on to be supported and contracts were signed in August 2019.
I had no idea how to write a book so self-publishing was not an option for me. I wanted the support and guidance of professionals and that is what I got with the team at Kogan Page. Despite a global pandemic, furlough and a complete restructure of the original idea, they helped guide me to the finished book.
Jenni’s model is business performance focused, insightful and comprehensible. Leaders need to understand change dynamics and effectively engage with people; Jenni shows the way.
David Stringer-Lamarre, Chair, IoD London Region and MD, Fortis Consulting London
Was it hard? Yes and no. Writing part of it in lockdown was hard. I didn’t enjoy being in my office all week and all weekend. I missed coffee shops; my usual hiding place for any kind of writing or deep work.
Would I do it again? Well, I started this blog with “this week my first book is being published”. That was deliberate, as I’m currently working on proposals for another two…
Find out more about Influential Internal Communication. Join us on the 20 April at 09:30 BST for the online book launch. Order your copy from Kogan Page, Amazon or Bookshop.org.
