My year of living promotionally

AT the beginning of January this year I posted pictures of myself, new book in one hand and glass of champagne in the other. Stood in our “library” at home, it could have been the smallest – and shortest – launch party in history, but at least my nine-year-old daughter enjoyed herself.

So this was what it was like to bring a book out in lockdown.

In truth, I had had a rehearsal. Two months earlier, the book I had written on FTSE with its founder CEO, Mark Makepeace, had published under the same conditions.

The Nine Types of Leader was different though, because now I was flying solo.

My study of CEO life – how bosses get to the top, how they stay there and the different methods of running major brands and international teams – was gleaned from more than 20 years of financial journalism. It was my career so far on a plate.

I soon discovered that publication day was far from a full-stop on the project, more of a semi-colon. Unlike publishing under the familiar mastheads of the Evening Standard, Sunday Times, Telegraph or Daily Mail, now I had to find an audience for my words.

With essential help from Shona Abhyankar and the Kogan Page team early on, we ploughed three furrows.

I wrote articles for and was pleased to land coverage in: The Times, The Telegraph, Forbes, City AM, BA High Life, Influence, The Treasurer and the Chartered Management Institute.

I featured in podcasts and videos for: Odgers Berndtson, Bookomi, Always Take Notes, Manageable, The Bunker, City AM, WorkL, the Extraordinary Business Book Club, Podcast Radio and James Nagle's Swim Not Sink among others.

And then there were events (essentially webinars) kindly hosted by: Saxton Bampfylde, MWM, The Ivy Club, Brunswick, Portland, Tulchan, MHP, Champion Communications, Adaptaa and many more.

I’d spent years interviewing chief executives and trying to keep the first person out of the write-up. I couldn’t stand “I was 15 minutes late for Alison Rose as I puffed up the stairs” intros. But now it was about me and what I thought.

What type of leader is Angela Merkel? Who has been your best interview? Do leaders carry a set of core skills from role to role or do they adapt to new situations? What was financial journalism like before the internet? (Sorry, too young for that one!)

There was much interest in the decline of the Alpha leader (everywhere except in Silicon Valley, where they are prospering), the rise of the Human, the Diplomat and the Campaigner, and the greater honesty, transparency and purpose I see demanded of leaders today.

Then came the second wave, digging deeper into the book to parcel out content and developing subsequent ideas for specific outlets:

What charity bosses can learn from corporate leaders – and vice versa - for LinkedIn;

The origins of the Seller, including the Procter & Gamble talent factory, for Management Today:

Why leaders with technology, people and communications specialisms have never had a better shot at becoming CEO, for Business Insider;

And why, nepotism aside, Scions - such as the recently-appointed Marta Ortega at Inditex - can be good leaders, for Spear’s.

I realised that I could go further afield. How to reach into the all-important US market? Webinars with specialist channels such as Thinkers50 and Executive Networks helped. So too did several articles for strategy+business, which has a strong international following.

On the other side of the globe, a column in Business Times of Singapore and webinar with Telum Media coincided with re-orders from Asian retailers.

By summer it dawned on me I wasn’t just marketing a book, I was marketing myself.

I’m sure it was because of the book I won more ongoing consulting and coaching work.

Even with the intricacies of Covid-19, my conference activity (in-person and virtual), including event facilitation for JLL, NCR and Quantuma, was busier than ever.

What also went in the diary were keynote opportunities to speak about leadership and related subjects for Money Marketing, PWC and others.

As the year ends, I hope there is more to come. But I wonder whether it should also signal an end to my promotional efforts?

One seasoned author cautioned about that particular full stop. “It continues until you publish the next one,” she said.

Watch this space.

For now, thanks to all who bought, read, liked and listened in 2021.

James Ashton speaks and writes on leadership and business.

jamesashton.co

@mrjamesashton