I've always loved the idea of skinning a cat many different ways — not because I'm some kind of psycho but because I can only really think of one way to do it, so it amuses me that the phrase means that there are several ways to do something.

I looked up the origins of this delightful idiom, and found some even more horrifying ways of saying that very same thing and suffice it to say, it has its roots in the 1600s when language (and possibly even practice) was often more barbaric than we might imagine.

I suppose I should get to my point.

Some books, it seems, are the type of book that can be used in many different ways.

A business school peer in the US is going to incorporate parts of it into her Executive MBA workshops to help her students develop executive presence.

One of my corporate-world colleagues has ordered over a hundred copies, I'm assuming to use with his teams rather than to put on his own bookshelf, and I can't wait to catch up with him to find out how he plans to use it in the workplace.

And a fellow coach and L&D professional texted me to tell me she'd already identified two dials to work on for her own development.

I myself will be working with corporate teams in the New Year, working with high potential talent to increase their chances of getting promoted , leaning into the themes of the book. And, of course, I use its concepts (have been for a while, all the time it was cooking) with my own coaching clients as well as the executive education and MBA students I work with.

IT IS ALL TOO EXCITING!!!!

Although the book was designed to be used practically, to be dipped into for particular learnings or worked through as a whole and to be skinned in a multitude of ways, I couldn't be sure whether it would land that way, in reality. It was a huge and slightly overwhelming unknown.

Sometimes people think coaches have got their schniz completely together. Trust me, I have not — I'm a constant work in progress on the personal development front. This book launch process has given me the jitters in some major ways; I even had a little bit of post-launch blues, so worried was I about sending all that hard work out into the wild.

But I'm relaxing into it now, and enjoying the many 'firsts' that come with it — first order, first review, first time someone I don't know says they bought it, first bulk purchase, first messed up bulk delivery (!) — and so it goes on...

And to you, dear reader, I ask: if you've picked up a copy of the book, or even taken the assessment, I would love for you to share with me how you've used it or plan to. And if you're curious about how I can help your organisation either by working directly with your high potential talent or with your leaders to provide them with practical tools to help their teams navigate career development, book a call with me.

See you soon,

Sarah