1. What motivated you to write your book, to force you from taking an idea or experience and turning it into this book? Three years ago, one of the program participants who had received a promotion stopped me in the hallway at a Fortune 50 company where we deliver the program. He got tears in his eyes and he said, “Not only did your program help me get the promotion I so wanted, but it changed my life. I was in a really dark place before the program, and my marriage and relationships with my kids were greatly suffering. Your program woke me up to who I truly am as an authentic human being, and my marriage and family relationships have transformed as a result.” With tears rolling down his cheeks, he said, “Please take this program to the masses because you can not only help their careers but you can help their mental health.”
After that conversation, I knew I had to write the book - The Authenticity Code™: The Art and Science of Success and why you can’t fake it to make it.
After teaching The Authenticity Code™ program for over ten years and pieces of it for 20 years, I consistently saw major transformation in participants who attended our three and five-day programs. We have a 50 to 80 percent promotion rate within the first year of participants attending the program. Many of these participants were previously stuck at a level prior to attending the program, and after the program they credited practicing what they learned in the program for finally receiving the promotion they most desired.
Participants also significantly improve their authentic presence and presentation skills, which improves their influence, communication and leadership skills. In addition, we have done this program for sales and marketing teams and sales capture teams helping our clients win billions of dollars in sales. I wanted to bring all of these benefits to the masses by publishing a book with the majority of the exercises that are in our program. I wanted more people to receive the benefits that program participants receive.
2. What is it about and who is it for? It is a parable about two professionals who are competing for the same promotion to Associate Director of Sales. In the course of going for this promotion, a Vice President Mentor, takes them under his wing, and teaches them The Authenticity Code™, which is Your Presence + Your Audience + Your Presentation = Your Success. These two professionals (Josh and Rachel) apply the exercises and the code to their own lives, and I can’t share the ending, but it is a story of who gets the job in the end and why and what happens to the other candidate as well. In the back of most chapters there are exercises that the reader applies to their own careers and lives.
It is for any professional, leader and college student who wants to find a job that is an authentic fit for their unique gifts and talents. It is especially for professionals and leaders who are in their early to mid-careers, and college students who are going for their first jobs.
3. What takeaways might the reader be left with after reading it? The reader will know their authentic brand statement, after answering 10 questions. Their authentic brand is who they are and who they are becoming. It is about doing what you came here to do and being who you came here to be.
The reader will know more about the authentic presence qualities that they shine in and ones that they need to grow in, along with how they will develop those qualities. They will know their personality preference according to our style recognition assessment and also how to watch for clues in their key audience members in terms of what personality preferences they are. There are even keys to adapting to your audience's style in the book while still keeping your authenticity. It is an authentic choice to be in front of an audience, so we want to serve that audience.
In addition, the reader will learn a formula for presentation success, that I guarantee will take your presentations and key communications (even job interviews) to way better than your past best. Readers will clarify what they most want out of life, what success means to them, and cracking the authenticity code will help them go about getting it.
4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design? I had a great artist as part of my publisher - Greenleaf Book Group. I told her I wanted to express a CODE in the cover, and I wanted it to be soothing to the eye. I absolutely love my cover design and blue color.
5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers? Stick with it and don’t give up. This book took me three years from start to my book launch date. It was a long process, and totally worth it when I saw my book hit the WSJ and USA Today bestselling lists. It was #2 on the WSJ bestselling list in nonfiction eBooks. Also, make sure you consider how to promote your book. The writing is the easy part. I had a great mentor, Sharon Lechter, who is a well-known author and just recently published Exit Rich, as well as co-authored Rich Dad Poor Dad. She helped me know what to do and when with the promotion of the book. As a result, I was able to have my first book hit national bestselling lists. Get the support you need to promote your book as well. I had a publicist, social media support, and marketing support.
6. What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading? I see more hybrid publishers like Greenleaf Book Group where you get the best of both worlds - traditional and self-publishing. They allow you to keep your own intellectual property, which was incredibly important to me, yet they provided marketing support that traditional publishers do. I also see way more emphasis on eBooks and audio books.
7. What challenges did you overcome to write this book? Time - I run a busy business, Inside Out Learning (www.insideoutlearning.com) so finding time to write, edit, and promote the book was a challenge as it meant other priorities were put on hold.
Parable Decision - I originally started to write the book as of a how to book, but I was not inspired when I read it. There was a critical decision point, when I decided to write a parable because I thought the early to mid-career audience would enjoy a parable and find it more engaging. Yet the book is the best of both worlds, as the proven program tools and exercises are in the back of the chapters.
Global Pandemic - At a time when we needed to pivot our business from 90% face to face to 100% virtual, there was a lot going on, but I knew this was the time when the world needed this book the most. Balancing my business, family and book needs was a challenge. However, whenever we go through personal hardships, it makes us look more deeply into who we truly are. This book helps people connect with what they came here to do and who they came here to be.
Being a first-time book author - I had no idea what was required to be successful. I had to use my extensive network and mentors to educate myself on what to do to be successful. I am still learning and have learned so much about how this industry works.
8. How would you describe your writing style? Fast and furious. I love to carve out time to write, and then just write what comes to me. I organize after I write. Organizing before I write blocks my creativity.
9. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours? With the great resignation happening, people are making a statement that they want to live more authentic lives. We are all going through a global pandemic together and this hardship makes us each do real soul searching of the types of lives we want to live.
Before you leave your current employer, read this book, and do the proven tools in the back of the chapters. If you don’t then you might go to something similar or worse than what you have now. Maybe you can have what you want at your current employer.
My book will help you
to define what success is for you, and to crack the authenticity code to
achieve your definition of success. It will help you know what life is calling
you to do next. It will assist you in being who you came here to be and
doing what you came here to do. And imagine the positive transformative impact
to our global world if we were all doing just that!
About The Author: Dr. Sharon Lamm-Hartman is the Founder and CEO of Inside Out Learning, Inc. (IOL), an award‐winning global leadership, team and organization development consulting business. In addition to running IOL, With a doctorate in Leadership Development from Columbia University, and a Masters from Cornell University, Dr. Sharon is a global executive and presentation skills coach, leadership and organization development consultant, speaker, writer, educator, wife and mom. She has designed and delivered over 3,000 innovative programs, including many women’s development and executive presence and presentation skills programs. Dr. Sharon has worked with tens of thousands of CEOs, executives, educators, professionals, and entrepreneurs worldwide. She has been an Adjunct Faculty Member at Columbia University and the Center for Creative Leadership, and has been featured in publications such as Authority Magazine, The New York Times, and several radio, television and podcast programs. For more information, please see: https://insideoutlearning.com/
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