Who is the book cover for?

Colleagues,
​
​MVP: There is a difference between the message we want to give and the message people need to get.

Last week my publisher sent me four different mockups for my upcoming book, A School Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose. 

I immediately knew which one I liked the best, but as I reelected, I realized that my emotional reaction to the cover was intimately connected with my knowledge of the book.

I realized that someone who didn’t know the book well might not react to the cover in the same way.

I sent the four images out to a number of my close contacts and received really important feedback. There was one version that was heavily preferred, and it wasn’t the one I had first chosen.

The cover of the book isn’t for me, it is for the person who I want to pick up the book.

In the same way, when I have conversations with people, I need to think about what I want them to hear, not what I want to say. There is a subtle difference.

Today’s intention: Monitor your speech today. Are you saying what you want to say, or are you speaking in a way that people can hear what they need to hear?

Cheers!

Frederick