Latest / Your Dream Coach Podcast / What Writing a Book Taught Me About Leadership
Transcript
- Your Dream Coach Podcast: Five weeks from today, my first book goes out into the world. And I'll be honest with you, writing it taught me more about leadership than almost anything I've done in the past few years. And today I'm taking you behind the scenes. So welcome to today's episode of your Dream Coach Podcast. I'm your host, Shayla Wei. And this one's a little different. Usually I tease my book at the start of the episode. And today the book is the episode. Dream Bigger, Lead Better launches December 1st. And I want to share what it took to write it. Because every lesson I learned applies directly to building a business and leading a team. And if you've been listening for a while, thank you. Some of the ideas in this book were first shared here right on this podcast. And this is your Dream Coach podcast, where leadership, fulfillment, and growth aren't three different goals. They're one. And I help entrepreneurs, business owners, and leaders dream bigger, lead better, and build the vision, the sales, and systems together. And growing the business and the person running it. So today I'm sharing five leadership lessons from writing a book while leading my own business with coaching clients, helping sales teams, and just building a business and just a look of what's inside. So, why did I write this book? Well, the introduction of the book is called The Book I Wish Someone Had Handed Me. And that's exactly why I wrote it. After over 20 years of leadership rooted in direct sales, building teams across Canada. Developing over 100 managers and now coaching business owners, helping lead sales teams, I kept seeing the same thing: ambitious leaders building something incredible and losing themselves in the process, or losing touch with the dream that started it all. So I wanted to write the book I needed when I was a young leader, trying to figure it all out. Lesson number one is: the dream needs a deadline. I'd wanted to write a book for a long time. It lived on my dream list for years. What finally made it real? A launch date. On December 1st, once it was in that calendar, everything changed. Decisions got made. Time got protected. The dream became a project. And in business, it's the same. A vision without a date is a wish. And so there's something that you kept, you know, kept thinking about or you just keep saying that you're gonna do someday. Give it a date this week. Lesson number two is you can't do it all alone. At first, I thought writing a book was a solo project. It's not. I just decided to bring in other leaders into it. Throughout the book, I share interviews with entrepreneurs and leaders who've lived these lessons from different business owners and leaders to community givers, you know, and so on. And I've had help from a speech coach helping me shape my message and a whole circle of people cheering me on, my business coach that has continued to help hold me accountable, executive assistants, marketing team. And so the lesson for leaders is that your vision gets bigger. When you let other people into it. And so asking for help isn't weakness. It's how big things get built. Lesson number three is vulnerability is the value. The hardest chapters to write weren't the strategy ones. They were the stories. Writing about burnout after leading 30 offices through 2020. Writing about the guilt I felt promoting my right-hand person and letting things go. Writing about the leader I developed who acted in a way that didn't match our values and what I had to learn from that. But here's what I realized is that those stories are the values. People don't connect with our highlight reels. They connect with the moments we almost didn't share. And so your team is the same. When you share what you struggle with, you give them permission to be human too. Lesson four is that systems beat inspiration. Some days I was inspired to write. Most days I wasn't. I was coaching, helping with different teams, being a mom, a wife. Working on the podcast. And so what got the book done wasn't inspiration. It was systems, scheduled writing blocks, a clear outline, deadlines for each section, weekly check-ins on progress. And exactly it's exactly what I teach business owners is that you can't build a business on motivation. You build it on systems that work, even when motivation doesn't show up. And lesson number five is finishing is a leadership skill. There's a point in every big project where you want to keep tweaking. One more edit, one more story. It's never quite enough. And I had to decide that Dana is better than perfect and that the book could help people only if it actually got in their hands. A lot of leaders are great starters. Fewer are great finishers. And your team watches what you finish. So finishing builds trust, momentum, and belief. So what's inside the book? Well, here's what you'll find in Dream Bigger, Lead Better. And it's built in four parts. Part number one is leadership. How leaders are developed, why the people around you matter, and leading from your values. Part two is fulfillment, living a life by design, burnout, delegation, and building systems that give you your life back. Part three is growth, sales identity, the little systems that change everything, and scaling with soul. And part four is your dreams in action. Why dreams are your greatest asset, vision casting for your life and legacy, teaching your team to dream. And why dreams are the ultimate productivity tool. It's full of stories from a marathon I ran in my early 20s to a Father's Day surprise to a team trip building a house in Tijuana, plus reflections at the end of every chapter so you can apply it to your own business and life. And so here's how you can help, and it would mean the world to me. First, join the launch list on the pre-order link in the show notes. So you're first to know when it's live on December 1st. Second, think of one leader in your life who needs this book and send them this episode. And if this podcast has helped you over the last 190 plus episodes, the best gift you could give me during launch season is a review. On Apple Podcast, leave her a rating and a review. On Spotify, hit follow and give it a rating. And on YouTube, drop a comment and tell me which part of the book you're most excited to read. Five weeks to go, thank you so much for being part of this journey. Remember to continue to dream bigger so you lead better. And remember a vision without a date is a wish. People don't connect with our highlight reels. They connect with the moments we almost didn't share. And your team watches what you finish. I'll see you next time on our next episode of Your Dream Coach Podcast.