A Case for Lions vs. Parrots (don’t make this mistake!)
Have you ever been reading a book that abruptly changed gears, almost like a different author took over? Today, we’d likely blame AI, assuming the writer got tired and handed it off to AI to get more verbiage instantly. But my client messed with his book all by himself. Here’s his mistake and what came of it.
Sam hired me to help him write a memoir, mainly about the company he'd founded and grown over 25 years. I recorded him telling stories about his life, and he used the transcripts to draft his manuscript. The first nine chapters were filled with fascinating stories about the obstacles he'd overcome, the integrity principles he'd lived by, and the success he'd achieved.
But he didn’t want the book to just be about him.
He wanted to give readers good advice about leadership and business. He had plenty of experience-based wisdom, but he didn’t share it for 3 whole chapters on “leadership.”
Instead, he quoted leadership gurus, CEOs, and renowned authors.
He left himself out. He used curated information rather than illustrating his points with his own unique stories.
The book went from engaging to dry as a desert.
For three entire chapters.
It was jolting for me to go from reading a memoir with success principles beautifully woven into original stories to now reading a boring textbook.
Why did he do that?
One reason some people do that is that they don’t trust themselves enough. Maybe they don’t have a college degree. Maybe they don’t see themselves as being as credible as someone with a more famous name.
So they delegate their authority to “experts.” They borrow someone else's credibility instead of recognizing their own.
That puts distance between them and the valuable message they most want to communicate to their audience.
For whatever reason, Sam switched from sharing from his heart to speaking from his head---not even his own head.
Before the flip, we saw Sam’s dreams, unwavering good character, strength in the face of huge obstacles, and humility. We saw a man of courage, a lion with plenty of battle scars, who had the heart of a servant leader.
Then he went from a lion to a parrot…not inspiring.
As textbook chapters go, these three were fine. They were well organized, grammatically correct, and imparted good information. Sam sounded well-read and smart about the topic.
So I really didn’t need to tell Sam that no one wants that information. We could leave those chapters as they were. Many editors would keep the client happy, leave the chapters in, and finish the project. Finish, publish, and get paid.
But I could not do that. I had to find a way to tell Sam that those three chapters were ruining his book.
So here’s the question I asked Sam:
“After you first heard and thoroughly admired that gem from John Maxwell, how did you apply it in your own business?”
I mean, Sam wouldn’t be espousing it as sound advice if he hadn’t applied it himself and had a good outcome, right?
Sam did have an answer, a fantastic example, in fact. I helped him write that story. And it was 100% his story.
We proceeded through the three chapters. We gave John Maxwell, Zig Ziglar, and others their due credit, but what matters to your audience is your personal illustration of the point, the change it was the catalyst for, so they can imagine it for themselves.
Stories that showed how Sam applied what he learned from others made his book far more engaging and impactful. Sam told me how much he appreciated me speaking up and prompting him to rewrite and bring life to those three chapters.
Sam’s stories were there all along; he just needed to bring them in to “show” rather than “tell.”
I know when you write a book, a speech, or a blog, you want to give voice to something that matters to you, and that you hope it becomes memorable to others. That’s my commitment, whether we are developing a story for your brand, a chapter for your book, or a legacy tale for your grandchildren.
Let’s talk! Connect with Barbara
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