What I Learned While Writing My Book

For those of you that ever thought about being an author let me encourage you as I was encouraged by my mentor, Jim Horan, author of The One Page Business Plan. I started on an adventure that is still not complete.  Jim sent me the format he uses for his Executive Briefing, a short, powerful look at how and why the One Page system of planning works.

When I asked him to mentor me through the process he told he would under one condition – “Bring full-on Bart!  Don’t hold back.  Write it the way you see it and we’ll go from there.”  Later he then encouraged me with these words – “Don’t make it perfect, just get it done.”

I followed all of that advice.  Here is what I learned while writing “Managing or Mangling – A Brief Plea to Executives for Sanity in Management!”:

• I know more about my business now.  I have greater clarity.
• I realized I know a lot more about my area of expertise than I thought I did.
• And then I realized I know a lot less, as well.
• There are those out there that need my help.
• And yours.
• I understand my clients pain far greater than I thought.  I have some relief for them.
• You do, too.
• I enjoy the thought process, the wordsmithing.
• I like taking the mundane, everyday stuff and using the power of humor to make a point.
• My readers do, too.
• You should as well.
• I can scream at the world.  And then go back to work.
• There are people that care about others.  In fact, those are actually in the majority, dear news media!
• Tell the truth.  People love it.

Probably the biggest single thing I learned, so far, is that people crave the ‘tell it like it is’ style.  People want honesty.  I did not have to try to be politically correct.  If you respect people, you don’t have to try.  Your respect shows through.  If someone takes it too sensitively and it wasn’t your intent, oh, well…  There is always going to be someone like that.  Can’t please all of the people all of the time, dear Government. Too many of us think that being ‘PC’ means we have to beat around the bush.  People like that even less.

When I thought I was done writing Jim taught me the second biggest thing I learned.  He asked me “What is it that you have not written?  What story have you not told?  What are you afraid of writing?”  My answer?  The story that now appears as the first chapter in the book – “They Don’t Talk About Management By Gunpoint”.

What are you avoiding writing or talking about?

The power of writing is much greater than simply producing another potential stream of revenue.  In short, the process of writing with a purpose allows freedom to create and the focus to understand ourselves and our clients even more.    The writer grows and matures as well.

Bart Gragg
925.757.7473

Tagged as: Blue Collar University, Managing or Mangling