The Extraordinary Business Book Club

Following last week's quadricentennial episode, a slightly belated but still brilliant best bits episode, showcasing the shiniest gems from the last few Extraordinary Business Book Club conversations.  The theme is pushing through discomfort, and it brings together extraordinary stories, illuminating insights and gloves-down challenges from:  Errol Doebler on emotional regulation and the discipline of writing;  Sir John Tusa on the traits of people who Get Things Done; Bonnie Wan on writing her way out of the darkest moments;  Andy Brown on taking ideas further;  Sara Dalrymple on getting through the discomfort of selling;  Gillian Camm on getting through the discomfort of editing;  Naren Aryal on breaking through the trust barrier;  Sara Lloyd on how publishers, and writers, face up to challenge.  Includes ice baths, coffee, deep breaths and showing up. 

In this 400th episode of the Extraordinary Business Book Club, the host answers questions from listeners on topics such as starting a running group, traits of authors, tips for first-time authors, untackled topics in business books, personal motivations and inspirations, and the importance of writing as a thinking tool.

"You have to get in front of what you're writing. You have to look at it and you have to type a key. If you don't, it's just not going to happen." Errol Doebler knows a thing or two about discipline. He's been a Naval Surface Warfare officer, Navy SEAL officer, FBI special agent and SWAT operator before founding his leadership consulting firm Ice Cold Leader, which is also the name of his new book.  Why ice-cold? Because ice baths form a key part of his own self-regulation regime, and because managing emotional responses is so foundational to effective leadership. Errol had to develop a conscious process for emotional regulation after a traumatic injury robbed him of that area of his brain; that process turns out to be valuable for anyone facing the stress and emotional discomfort that accompany leadership.  Prepare to be challenged and inspired in roughly equal measure.  

"We've been innovating forever, before digital formats came along... in a way we have some of the natural abilities we need. We need to remember that and not be too scared when new things come along." Publishing is an industry that runs on creativity and intellectual property. So how are book publishers responding to the challenges and opportunities of generative AI? Can the book, one of our oldest technologies, survive this latest technological revolution? And if so, what are the implications for authors?  As the first Global AI Lead for Pan Macmillan, one of the world's largest publishers of trade fiction and non-fiction, Sara Lloyd is grappling with these very questions. In this week's conversation she sheds some light on the conversations taking place in the industry, and the ways that publishers themselves are using AI. She also gives her best tip for authors writing their first book, and it's probably not what you expect... 

'It's an uncomfortable struggle to land that title of the book, land that sharp, sticky center of the life brief, but it is so worth it.' As a brand strategist, Bonnie Wan knows how to put together a creative brief that makes meaning out of mess, that goes straight to the essence of what a company is really about. So when she reached a moment of crisis in her own life, she reached instinctively for that skillset. The result was The Life Brief, not a document but a 'practice of permission' she has adopted in all areas of life now for cutting through the noise and finding what really matters to you, the vision you recognise at a visceral level when you unearth it.  Along the way she discovered the power of exploratory writing, the power of developing her ideas through speaking and workshops, and the art of leading the reader step by step through an experiential book.  You're going to love this. 

Sara Dalrymple discusses the discomfort many business owners feel when it comes to selling, and offers empowering news that their sales skills are better than they think. She talks about the outdated assumptions about selling and what effective, zero-ick, 21st-century small-business selling looks like. The chapter also touches on the joy of collaboration and support, book recommendations, and connecting with the audience.

Sir John Tusa, journalist and arts administrator, shares stories of creative success and the power of storytelling. He discusses perseverance, breaking away from established rules, and the process of writing a book. The podcast also explores the impact of reading on understanding human behavior and offers book recommendations.

Explore the importance of focusing on the process of writing a book, rather than just the end goal. Reflect on the 10th anniversary of Practical Inspiration Publishing. Learn about the first step in writing a business book and upcoming workshops. Discover the value of exploratory writing and the importance of reading widely. Receive well-wishes for the year ahead and support for aspiring authors.

Andy Brown, an author experienced in testing and articulating business book ideas, discusses the concept of the emotional overdraft and the hidden costs of business growth. They emphasize the power of discussion and writing, and the process of exploring ideas and getting started with writing. They also touch on business book recommendations and engaging newsletters, and recommend three new business books to check out.

Kathryn Bishop, CBE and Gillian Camm are seasoned members of both private and public sector boards. And they've learned that effective governance comes down not to rigid structure and process but to one of the most ancient human skills of all: conversation. Conversations on the right topics, with the right people, in the right way.  So it made sense of course to structure the book around the various types of conversation essential for strong boards; but what they hadn't expected was that their collaborative writing process would itself embody the honest, energised, respectful conversational style they were advocating in the book.  Essential listening if you're a board member, a writer, or simply a human being who needs to talk to other human beings to Get Things Done.