Why I wrote “No Point B” (and how I did it)
My first book, No Point B: Rules for Leading Change in the New Hyper-Connected, Radically Conscious Economy will come out in one month, on August 9. The process of writing the book was an intellectually challenging adventure, but the why behind the book – why now, why this topic – was a journey itself.
When starting 18 Coffees with my partner, Robin Chung, we knew that we wanted to be at the forefront of changing how we change. Over the course of our careers in digital transformation, we had seen the way clients struggled with how disruptive technology was constantly asking them to adapt their strategies, operating models, and org charts. But more importantly, we saw a shift coming in how society and business interacted. My time working for President Obama solidified my belief that political convictions were about to bleed into the private sector in a big way, causing business leaders to re-think assumptions about the relationship between profit and purpose.
Our work was focused on change long before a pandemic, war, insurrection, political and social upheaval, domestic terrorism, inflation, etc. stressed our mental capacities to the breaking point. But I believe the past three years have made our ideas more urgent, and that’s what I’ve tried to capture in No Point B.
There is no end point to disruption. We need to reframe transformation as a constant process, and start building our adaptive capabilities now for whatever comes next.
I started writing the book in January 2021, and to be honest, I wasn’t sure what the world would feel like by the time the book was published. We were still unsure of the long-term impacts of the pandemic, and some were predicting a new post-vaccine “Roaring 20s”: an economy high on pent-up demand. I wrote at my kitchen table first thing every morning (before the rest of the day got away from me), and I worried that a refreshed few years of opulence would make leaders feel complacent about the next disruption.
By the time I was close to finishing, I was dealing with disruptions of my own: a death close to home, personnel turnover at our company; a new wave of the virus and vaccine hesitancy causing more family disruptions. Suddenly my mental capacity was taxed, and the last few chapters became a slog. I think about that time now as representative of the ideas of the book itself: that disruption is inevitable, and expanding our capacity to deal with it is a constant practice.
After nine months, I eventually finished the manuscript, turned it in to my publisher (they didn’t hate it!), and now it’s exactly one month out from No Point B hitting bookshelves. Writing a book is an incredible (nerve-racking, intellectually challenging) experience, and I’m about to start the next phase: getting it out into the world.
I’d love to hear what you think. Pre-order No Point B: Rules for Leading Change in the New Hyper-Connected, Radically Conscious Economy from your favorite online retailer below:
As a bonus, we’re giving away a module from the 18 Coffees Changemaker’s Toolkit with any pre-order of the book. This includes practical tools we’ve used with clients over the past five years to help them make change within their organizations – and to be change leaders in their communities. We’ll be releasing the entire toolkit soon, so those who pre-order the book will get a sneak peek and be able to start applying the toolkit right away.
Upload proof of purchase here, and you’ll receive the toolkit along with the book’s release.
I couldn’t be more excited to get your feedback on the book, see how you apply the ideas – and to watch you do your part to make change.
