The best kept secret behind what it takes to publish a book? “The Three Ladies” who aided Kiran, an author with ADHD, in his publishing journey.
Marianne, his “Anchor,” balanced strengths and vulnerabilities. Mrs. U, his “Accountability Partner,” helped him focus, and Mrs. L, the “Voice of Reason,” helped priortise and implement ideas. Their roles exemplify segregation, accountability, and effective execution for success:a valuable model for complex transformation projects.
Hi, Mrs. Bolt here
As the editor of the Oh Landia Herald, I get the privilege of kicking off Extrapreneur Herald with this blog on the ‘The Three Ladies’. I wrote it soon after Kiran delivered Perfectly Imperfect for publishing.
In our post mortem of his writing process, too messy for my liking, as he excels in what I call ‘writing a book backwards’, we needed to answer this question, “What does it take for someone with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity to succeed in publishing a book?”
Initially, the pompous bunch that we are, we were sure that it was us pixies who, with our ethereal Pixie Dust, helped him overcome all his obstacles (and there were tons) and make this book happen. In hindsight it was The Three Ladies, that he unconsciously created and weaved into his writing process that helped him understand and navigate his obstacles and become a published author.
But let me set the scene so you know what the Three Ladies are up against. First imagine Spark Plug the epitome of an entrepreneur. By himself, he would have millions of ideas. Now imagine he is coupled with Nut Cracker, a powerful brand of ADHD. In full form they resemble the most lethargic version of Mr. If On-Lee after a boost of energy.
There is no way I want these two roaming in my library when they have got a bad case of ‘idea diarrhoea’. Thankfully I can send them over to Mr. If On-Lee at the Experiment,where with his many gadgets, he is happy to indulge them. After a while when their ideas run amok, poor P Leader a poor bystander in this process, is left to clean up their mess.
So that is why The Three Ladies had to come in with their own earthly Pixie Dust to guide Kiran to create a well-crafted novel.
The first lady is his Anchor. The role goes to his wife Marianne. As Kiran is a former sailor, he calls her pixie dust his Anchor. Marianne is always by his side in good and bad, and helps him to remember that while he has many strengths or an Ex-Factor that includes a fertile imagination, his clumsy creativity and powerful execution, he has a fair share of vulnerabilities too. Her non-judgemental insight is valuable and helps them monitor situations thatmay lead to his Ex-Factor getting out of balance. This insight helps them to prepare in good time and when needed get ready to cast anchor before the rough weather arrives.As it sometimes will!
A well sunk anchor can stabilize Kiran in turbulent times and reduce the risk of him being washed ashore to the Cape of Oh No again. As Kiran loves symbols that help him remember things, there is an anchor placed in their garden which serves as a constant reminder of why Kiran needs one in his life.
Moving on from the anchor, to the second lady who came into play based on the advice from a grumpy woman like me.Extrapreneurs like Kiran when they embark on a life transformation journey, must try to segregate the way they run their personal and professional lives.
So Kiran has a second lady, Mrs. U, his Accountability Partner.
Mrs. U is someone who you trust and with whom you can share your dreams and vulnerabilities. With a background in professional programme management, Mrs. U plays a key role inhelping Kiran focus on his mission. In reality, their interactions are an informal, enjoyable and ‘skill and thrill’ acquisition process for both. During their regular check-ins, Mrs. U provides Kiran with sparring and feedback to help him plan, follow-up and achieve his goals with the same professional discipline she demonstrates while managing a programme. The check ins are every two weeks, for consistency, at the same time, and last an hour.
The third lady is Mrs. L the – Voice of Reason. As idea diarrhoea is a recurring incurable condition in Kiran’s life, he needs a voice of reason to qualify and prioritize the constant stream of wild ideas that flow from his fertile imagination. Mrs. L, too has a background as a programme leader, and so every wild idea Kiran sharedwith complete confidence that it can help him become Mr. Billion Smiles, is countered by Mrs. L’s enthusiastic smiles with a “Why Kiran?”
Then they kick the idea around a bit. If the idea passes the SMILE filter and becomes a Cool Move, she pitches in with her skills to plan and execute the Cool Move. This is once again an enjoyable ‘skill and thrill’ acquisition process for both. Mrs. L takes some of the idea execution work off Kiran’s shoulders, and this helps him focus on the things he loves i.e. Imagine and Create. Mrs. L schedules weekly ‘connection calls’ with Kiran where they discuss the nitty gritty of the Cool Moves they are working on.
To bring this blog to an end, hats off to Kiran for finding and working with ‘The Three Ladies’, clearly segregating their roles and complementing their amazing skills, and even better,being able to first win, and retain their support to achieve his goals.
The Three Ladies is a Cool Move worth looking into in more detail if you dream of trying out a Middleweight or a Heavyweight Cool Move. If you would like to hear more, do schedule a meeting with Kiran at this link….