Could you tell us about yourself?
I am a leader with the heart to develop others. I grew up on the small island of Dominica in the Caribbean before immigrating to the United States for university. Upon graduation, I joined the Procter & Gamble company as a Mechanical Engineer where I served shareholders for 32years before retiring. I am now the CEO of Germain Empowerment, focused on empowering others through writing and speaking. My lovely wife and I spend most of our time on the paradise island of St. Lucia. I have two amazing kids and two of the world’s most adorable grandkids.
What made you write your book?
I was inspired to write by my many mentees who asked to continue our connections after my retirement. It occurred to me that it was an opportunity to share from my wisdom and vast leadership experience on a broader scale. I am now doing that through speaking engagements, my book as well as a blog I started at https://germainempowerment.com
What one thing you would give up to become a better writer?
That’s easy. Watching TV (LOL).
Do you listen to music while you write books?
I actually do! I love listening to spiritual music while I write. My favorite genres are Christian Reggae and Christian Socca. It energizes me and the ideas just seem to flow.
What do you need in your writing space to help you stay focused?
Nothing. I can turn anywhere into a writing space. That’s because I can easily zone out the world to write. Whether I’m sitting in a doctor’s waiting room, or at an airport gate before a flight, I can, and usually do, pull out my phone and start writing either on my latest project or a new idea for a blog post. If I’m interrupted, I can easily get back into the zone.
Where do you get ideas for your book?
My ideas come from my experiences, my mentoring efforts and seeing so many of my colleagues deal with what I write about. However, I must say that I have had the idea of a few books inside me for a while. The first one is out. The second is process and I can hardly wait to begin the others – but at the right time.
What is your writing process like?
For my first book, my writing process was strictly recalling some of the pain I experienced in corporate America as a leader, choosing one and capturing what I did to overcome that pain point. That book, How to Demonstrate Effective Leadership, is about Christ-centered leadership. I captured how my faith in God gave me that competitive advantage to overcome the pain, and the lessons I learned from it. Then, I repeat for the next chapter. Once done, I organized my writing into a coherent marketable product and added some resources to enhance the readers experience and. My current process for my next book is to focus my starting point on the structure and concepts. I use a concept called a “Mind Map” for that. Basically, it’s throwing all my ideas on a large board then organizing them into a structure and flow before starting to write. I generally write on my laptop. However, I use my phone to capture thoughts, additions, and ideas on the fly, any time of day or night so I never lose valuable additions. I don’t have a dedicated writing time. That’s too restrictive to me and makes it seem like a job.
What kind of research do you do and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
That’s a great question. First, my research never ends until my manuscript is edited and ready for publication. I remain in constant improvement mode. That’s because quality is important to me. However, I believe in driving excellence, not perfection. Therefore, I devote a dedicated two months to do my research. This includes reading other books, conducting interviews, and countless hours of online research using reputable sites like PEW and Harvard Business Review.
What is your favorite and least favorite part of publishing a book?
Simple: my favorite part is hearing of the impact it has on people’s lives. The least favorite part is by far marketing.
How did you come up with the title for your book?
Research. For my first book, I had a title in my head for years. But I discovered through learning events that it was not the bestselling title. I therefore, research my topic headlines to identify a few options. I took them to members of a couple book clubs and ended up with four potential ideas. Finally, I did a poll of my launch team and selected the people’s choice. What’s crazy is I still sometimes refer to my book by the original title since I had it in my head for a couple years! No. I won’t share what it was ☺.
Are you working on anything right now you would like to share with our readers?
Yes. I am working on a project involving navigating unwritten rules for minorities and women. This is a concept I wish I knew about when I began my career. I am hoping to change that for young leaders coming up, as well as sharing some insight to tenured leaders who are in the majority group so they can help those with less access to the inner circles of the corporate world.
After writing your book, what is your advice to people who want to become writers?
I have two pieces of advice and one caution for aspiring authors. 1) Go for it. The fulfilment of completing that dream is worth the challenge. 2) Ensure you deliver a quality product. If people are willing to spend their money on your book, you should be willing to take the time to offer them a quality product. Finally, my one caution is to watch out for companies who want to charge you an exorbitant amount to publish for you.
Kennedy Germain Media Links
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