A Note of Gratitude
Today, October, 21, 2025, marks the official launch of Practical Leadership: A Guide to Earning Trust, Getting Results, and Changing Lives. What a journey it’s been over the past three years.
This book wouldn’t exist without the incredible people who believed in it - and in me - long before it was finished. To my early readers, reviewers, endorsers, launch team members, and every leader who took time to encourage, challenge, or advise me along the way: Thank You so much. You reminded me that authorship, like leadership, is never a solo act.
You showed up when I needed fresh eyes, to listen to ideas or give me feedback, or encouragement to keep going. You reminded me why I wrote this book in the first place - to help leaders earn trust, get results, and change lives.
As I look back on the writing, editing, and publishing process, I realize how many leadership lessons were baked into the experience itself. Writing a book is a master class in persistence, clarity, and teamwork. I want to share a few of the leadership lessons I learned along the way.
What Writing a Book Taught Me About Leadership
As I reflect on this journey, I realize that writing Practical Leadership wasn’t just about sharing lessons, it was living them. Every challenge, delay, and breakthrough held a mirror up to my own leadership habits. Here are a dozen lessons I learned through the process that apply to anyone leading people, projects, or change.
Leadership Lessons I Learned from Writing the Book
- Check your ego at the door. When I first started thinking about writing a leadership book, I thought about what I wanted people to know based on my experience. I learned it wasn’t about me - it was about the reader and what they wanted to learn. The book I thought I was going to write is not the book that is published. Thank goodness. As a leader, ask your team and others what they want, don’t assume you know what’s best for them.
- Get clear on your purpose. You’ll need to remember it when you get tired and wonder if you’re cut out for writing a book. Your purpose will remind you what difference you want to make for your readers. As leaders, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Remember your purpose and the difference you can make as a leader.
- Know what your priorities are. Get clear on what actually helps move the progress needle to get words on paper and ask yourself, “Is what I’m working on the most important thing?” The same goes for leaders. Your team members shouldn’t have to guess what they should be working on. Be clear.
- Get yourself organized. I had files, articles, research notes, sticky notes, and multiple notebooks with important scribbles early on. I finally stopped, got myself organized, and put systems in place. I was much faster after that. Leaders need to do the same - slow down (and put systems in place) to go fast.
- Surround yourself with the best people you can find to help guide you. Experts improved quality and accelerated the book-writing process. They solved problems before I even knew I had them. Leaders can benefit from coaches and high performers to guide them on their journey.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help. I certainly didn’t have all the answers and most of the time didn’t even know the questions. Ask for help. Leaders often think they need to have all the answers or can do it all themselves. You don’t and you can’t.
- Courage means putting yourself out there. It’s scary to think about publishing a book. What if people disagree? Don’t like it? Leadership demands the same vulnerability, making decisions that some people may not like or disagree with. Do it anyway.
- Nurture your network. I don’t like asking others for help. When I forced myself to reach out to my network to ask people to join the book launch, feeling like it was a burden, I was stunned by the generosity of people to help. It had been 20+ years since I had talked with some of them. Many said, “I’m so honored you would think of me for your launch team.” As leaders, your network will help you when you need something, be a sounding board, think of you when they hear of something you’re interested in, and recommend you for your next job.
- Ask for feedback regularly. Many people gave me feedback along the way, which changed the trajectory of the book. Two additional chapters were added as a result. And several chapters were cut out. Feedback was invaluable for a better end result. Leaders need to ask for feedback from others as well, and treat it as a gift. Most likely, you’ll find that you have a few blindspots that may be holding you back.
- Set aside focused thinking time. Sometimes, I couldn’t see the forest for the trees. I’d spend hours writing stuff that I’d cut out later. Give yourself dedicated thinking time to look at the bigger picture to get back on track. Leaders need to do the same. It’s easy to get sucked into being busy but not accomplishing worthwhile work.
- Don’t be afraid to fail. You’ll still learn from it. I’ve mentioned that I cut a lot (around 40,000 words) out of a 75,000 word book. I learned a lot and will use much of that somewhere else. As a leader, it’s only a failure if you don’t learn from it. Action is better than inaction. Fail fast and keep moving.
- Be grateful. So many people helped me along my book journey. Most leaders have had great mentors along the way and team members who made them look good. It’s a good reminder that leadership is about service, not being in the spotlight.
In Closing
Writing Practical Leadership reinforced my belief: leadership is a learned craft - not an art or something a person is born with. It’s daily choices, consistent effort, and the courage to keep being better today than you were yesterday.
Whether you’ve followed my book journey from the beginning or are just discovering my work, thank you for being part of this community of practical leaders. I hope this book becomes a trusted companion in your own leadership journey.
If you haven’t yet picked up your copy, you can order Practical Leadership today wherever books are sold. And if it resonates with you, please share it with a colleague who could use a little clarity, confidence, and courage in their leadership.
Because everyone deserves to work for a great leader.
Warm regards,
Janet Ply, PhD
Author, Practical Leadership
www.janetply.com
Schedule a free problem-solving call with me at janetply.me.
Connect with me on LinkedIn