On Publishing Books
Hey everyone!
Two weeks ago today, unEngaged: Building Flourishing Organizations, was released. Since then, I have been blessed–truly blessed–with emails, texts, LinkedIn messages, and phone calls expressing how much you are learning from and enjoying this book.
When I set out to write unEngaged, I wanted to stretch my writing abilities and attempt something that I have wanted to do for quite some time but only dabbled in it:
Write a fable.
While unEngaged is rooted in true experiences and real people, the story is fictional. My hope and prayer though, has been that the reader would be able to identify with one of the characters and relate to one or more of the work experiences presented in the book. Based on the feedback I have received, it seems that has been happening in spades!
I want to express my sincerest gratitude and appreciation to everyone for your support, encouragement and love over the past handful of years. It has been a journey full of surprises, twists and turns. I have often joked that God has a sense of humor, but I quickly follow that up with the truth that God also has an abundance of grace and mercy, which I need every single day. This journey has taken me to places that I never dreamed or imagined. I don’t mean luxurious destinations and bucket-list, box-checking experiences. I mean, a journey into parts of my soul I was unaware even existed.
Writing has become a near-daily cathartic exercise for me. While I often post some of my thoughts on LinkedIn and my website blog, my deepest thoughts and prayers are reserved for my personal time with God. Some days, my prayers are filled with gratitude and thanksgiving; some days, it is lamenting, and voicing anxiety; some days, it is worship and honor; some days, it is confession and repentance; and still others it is laying prostrate in humility and reverence knowing that I am in the presence of my Creator.
The exercise of writing, unEngaged, taught me so much about God, others, myself, leadership, and communication. One of the most powerful tools that we have as humans that no other living being on the planet has is the power of story. I wanted to tell one person's story—my fictional character, Paul—as he deals with the frustration and pain of being disappointed, upset, and stuck, and then dealing with the unknown of transitions, finding one’s identity, and rediscovering love…for humans and for God. My hope and prayer is that this story brings hope, motivation, and change because I may not know much about life, but I do know this:
Life is short, wild, and precious.
Organizational culture is people and people are organizational culture. Imagine what it would be like if each of us were blessed to work in an organization that truly valued its team members by seeing, listening, valuing, and loving them; if organizations truly equipped and trusted team members to do the jobs they were hired to do, with clarity, authority, responsibility, and accountability. And if organizations had compelling visions that were fully supported with structures and processes that reinforced that vision and the rallying cry to be excellent in everything.
This is what unEngaged is all about.
Before I go, if you have purchased a copy, would you be so kind as to leave a rating and review on Amazon? Amazon is all about those stars and feedback! If you haven’t purchased a copy yet, please hop on over to Amazon or to Ballast Books (my amazing publisher) and order yourself a copy today. If you are near me and are interested, I would be happy to sign your book, if desired.
Hop over to Amazon here.
Hop over to Ballast here.
I wish you all a wonderful season of Thanksgiving; we have so much to be thankful for this year!
I pray God’s richest blessings upon you!
Matt