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My Pandemic Project – Mary T. O’Sullivan
By Mary T. O’Sullivan, MSOL
“Every project is an opportunity to learn, to figure out problems and challenges, to invent and reinvent.” – David Rockwell
This week I attended yet another conference where I was able to display and sell my book, The Leader You Don’t Want to Be. At these events, I’m often asked if I’m the author of the book, and when I say “yes”, people want to know how the book came to be. These conference spaces are often deafeningly loud, and to explain the origins of my book, I find myself shouting my answer across the table. I’ve repeated the story so many times, that I thought writing about it would help clarify the account of exactly how my book came to be. The sum of it all is that my book is the product of a Pandemic Project.
The pandemic was a time of isolation, loneliness, and fear. People poured themselves into projects to distract from the emptiness created by a sudden void in the normal routine. But I hadn’t found something to give me solace yet.
The baking craze didn’t hit me, neither did the desire to do crafts. I didn’t knit or sew; I didn’t crochet or macramé. No home renovations inspired me, nor did I learn to paint watercolor art or do pottery. The desire to scrub my baseboards eluded me, and I didn’t get more fresh air or exercise. Scrap booking seemed boring and tedious, and I was weary of Zoom meetings. Aside from binge-watching TV, there was nothing interesting to me. I was tolerating daily life. Six months into the lockdown, my exacerbated husband suggested I revisit my book authoring, and the journey began. I used some government grant money to pay two editors and a promotion team, and the reality of a book began to take shape.
The genesis of the book began way back in 2009, after I started my studies for a master’s degree at Quinnipiac University (QU). The University’s teaching philosophy for its Organizational Leadership degree is based on the students’ own experiences working in their individual corporate cultures. A leadership theory would be discussed in class, and the students’ essays, papers and weekly assignments had to relate directly to that leadership model as applied to what students confronted each day when they walked through the company’s doors.
This was exciting fodder for me as incident after incident easily jumped onto the hundreds of pages created during that three-year time period. Ethics violations, gender and race bias, incompetence, favoritism, and nepotism flourished where I worked. Because the topics were so personal, I poured all the mental and physical energy into my work, and it paid off. My GPA remained a 4.0 for the entire duration of my studies.
After receiving my degree, I looked back on my university writings and realized I had the makings of a pretty good book, or so I thought. I combined all the files myself, picked an Amazon cover, and joined the ranks of the self-published. It was not a perfect product and, even though it sold some copies, it needed work, but I didn’t know how to begin.
Fast forward to 2021. My editors took hold of the all the papers, essays, and assignments, all my blogs, my LinkedIn posts, and the articles I’d written for various periodicals. They helped me create a story line, design a professional looking book, and figure out how to get it published and into the hands of readers.
The finished version of my book has been in publication now for about 18 months, and the results are surprisingly positive. Every quarter I receive a modest check from Amazon, but the most fulfilling, enjoyable, and satisfying reward is meeting my readers in person. I can shake their hands at conferences and expos. I can talk about where the book came from and intrigue them into exploring my experiences with gender issues, ethical issues, and the lack of equity, diversity, and inclusion in corporate America.
At last, I found a fulfilling Pandemic Project!
“It takes an awful lot of time to not write a book.” – Douglas Adams
Connect with Mary:
www.encoreexecutivecoaching.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marytosullivan/
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Read all Mary’s columns here: https://rinewstoday.com/mary-t-osullivan-msol-pcc-shrm-scp/
Mary T. O’Sullivan, Master of Science, Organizational Leadership, International Coaching Federation Professional Certified Coach, Society of Human Resource Management, “Senior Certified Professional. Graduate Certificate in Executive and Professional Career Coaching, University of Texas at Dallas. Member, Beta Gamma Sigma, the International Honor Society. Advanced Studies in Education from Montclair University, SUNY Oswego and Syracuse University. Mary is also a certified Six Sigma Specialist, Contract Specialist, IPT Leader and holds a Certificate in Essentials of Human Resource Management from SHRM.