Shifting gears.
The exciting part of writing a book is finally being able to talk about it — especially considering I kept my authorship journey under wraps for a long time.
Once The Emotionally Strong Leader was finally out of my hands, a different phase began; promoting the book. This took up a significant part of the journey, especially considering I had to prepare for and organize two book launches — one in Canada and one in the United States.
This phase required me to shift gears completely. I went from laying in bed writing the book until 3AM to being out in the public eye, traveling and doing interviews.
I had to jump right into it — from putting the private thoughts in my head onto paper in the pages of my book to finally start sharing it all with the public. And it all happened in a flash.
Team changes.
The process of becoming an author is very extensive and requires a lot of hands on deck. Because of that, there were quite a few shifts in my team.
For one, the EI Experience team grew substantially, as did every team member’s responsibilities. We all had to learn new things and embrace change on the go.
For instance, here are some of the few new duties we all had to learn quickly:
- How to navigate the world of public and media relations.
- The art of shipping books to our clients and customers.
- The behind-the-scenes of preparing for TV, radio, and podcast interviews.
- Writing articles for credible publications and collaborating with other authors.
- The ins and outs of social media and digital marketing.
And the list goes on.
Getting comfortable with the exposure.
I may be stating the obvious but promoting a book means you have to be comfortable with being in the spotlight.
I was aware this would be the case, but I didn’t realize how quickly it would all start happening. My lowest EQ competency — the skill I struggle with the most — is independence. I care too much about what people think.
It can be hard for me to put my work out there for the world to judge, but I did not let that stop me. I was afraid and brave at the same time and pushed myself beyond my fears.
While I was mentally prepared to put myself out there and have my thoughts “exposed” to the world, the media — podcast, radio, and TV interviews — started rolling in so quickly that it was an overwhelming experience. It was both exciting and nerve-wracking.
CTV Your Morning: How to Boost Your Emotional Intelligence
But I knew I had to get the word out.
I wrote this book knowing that its message is not only a powerful one but a timely one as well. People need to know the importance of self-awareness and the need for emotional intelligence — in the classroom and boardroom.
My perspective changed.
The impact of social media has been the most significant aha moment for me.
I have never been big on sharing my life on social media (or using it at all, really), and keeping up with it has always been challenging.
But in recent months, I have grown fond of sharing my authorship journey, as I have received an overwhelming response from people from all over the world — whom I would never have had a chance to work with — on the impact that book has had on their lives. Sharing my experiences, both external events and internal struggles, through social media have led me to connect with others on a deeper, more intimate level.
As I talked about in the book, this is the emotional connection needed in the office. But the biggest lesson for me is that social media can also be an opportunity to connect with others at a heart level, no matter how diverse, dispersed, and digital we are across the globe.
People are craving an emotional connection, and sharing my truth — the highs and lows, the ins and outs — has connected me with people I would never have had a chance to meet and allowed me to hear their stories of struggles and triumphs.
I am forever grateful for the stories you have shared and how my message on the importance of emotional intelligence has positively changed your lives.
My takeaway.
Writing the book was only half the journey.
We may know why I wrote The Emotionally Strong Leader, but what was the ultimate purpose?
This authorship journey was never just about “writing a book.” My drive has always been to build a community where people could connect on a personal level. And that’s what promoting this book was all about — connecting people together to talk about their feelings.
Ready to realize that emotions are not the enemy but are, in fact, the basis of our strengths? Order your copy here!
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