Moving from blog to book was an idea I conceived of about a year ago, wanting to not only extend the reach of my message to a larger audience, but to more collectively assemble my tips, pointers, and observations about what I’ve come to call WOW leadership. To achieve that goal, I scaled back my rigorous daily blogging pace, and started quietly working on a leadership text.

Having read numerous business books over the years, I knew I wanted to write something different—something with edge in addition to education. I wanted to WOW my readers as much as I wanted them to WOW as leaders. So, I developed a concept to inject some fun into the function of learning about leadership. Instead of creating another cookie-cutter style business book, I took a cue from some of my most popular blogs, and decided to use TV shows—both current and classic—to compare, contrast, and illustrate my message. An early blog entry detailing the leadership styles of the top cops on NCIS and Hawaii 5-0 was one of my most talked-about posts. Other pieces, including one highlighting the leadership traits of the castaways on Gilligan’s Island and another on lessons learned from Barney the purple dinosaur, were also well received. And so, my inspiration was born.

While the book I created, titled Tune in to WOW Leadership: 10 Lessons Learned From America’s Favorite Shows, is based in part on the material in my blogs, it brings my mini-musings to a higher plateau by incorporating action-based takeaways and expanding the scope and definition of WOW leadership. Moving from blog to book was a labor of love aimed at helping current and potential leaders recognize that there is a better way to lead that doesn’t include tyranny, greed, or self-important motives. Being compassionate, communicative, respectful, caring, and tuned-in as a leader brings about the most engagement and productivity from your staff. The often dysfunctional ways in which teams and companies are run are counterproductive to eliciting best efforts and drawing out top performance. There’s a more effective way, more responsible, and more inspirational way to lead—and it’s through WOW leadership.

Tune in to WOW Leadership is scheduled for publication in early January 2015. I’m thrilled that the book has been well-received not only by the publisher, but by top booksellers Barnes & Noble and Hudson News. It’s also been endorsed by several top names in business and the entertainment industry. But what’s most important to me is that my words might somehow influence and help those in the leadership community or those hoping to enter the leadership ranks. Getting my message out and sharing the passion I have for great leadership is my top priority.

Over the coming months, I’ll begin posting excerpts from the book to provide my loyal readers with a sampling of what they can expect from the manuscript. If you’d like to reserve a copy for yourself, your staff, or anyone who values and aspires to great leadership, pre-orders are being taken on amazon.com www.amazon.com and BN.com http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. Going from blog to book has been a personal goal realized, but actually making a difference via that book would be a dream come true.

Stay tuned…

-Sheri Staak