Engel Schmidl’s Post

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Author / Writer / Editor / English Language Teacher

"I always tell people that, as a managing director, you're wearing three hats. One is the hat of the shareholders. One is the hat of the business, the staff and the people. And the other is the hat of self-interest. It's very easy at moments like that to wear the wrong hat. It was evident at this moment self-interest wasn't the thing to focus on because the step up in the benefits to the shareholders was so significant." For my recent corporate history book (see the link below), an ASX-listed business commissioned me to update and expand its story into the 21st century. For the project, I undertook lengthy interviews with more than 20 people including many former and current CEOs, board members, executives and employees involved with the business over the past 40 years. These interviews provided a wealth of information and stories about where the company had been, what it had got right, and even what it had got wrong. Talking to them revealed the hidden pressures and personal struggles faced by those charged with leading organisations, especially in challenging circumstances. Their experiences provided perspectives beyond those gleaned from regular research material like archival company documents and newspaper reports. Dates and milestones provide the skeleton structure for writing the story of an organisation's history. But the flesh and blood come from talking to the people who were there. That's when stories take flight, and you get real insight into what makes an organisation tick, what's in its DNA. If you're interested in preserving your organisation's history and want its story told, please get in touch with me to discuss how I might be able to help. Your organisation's history doesn't have to be as extensive as a 55,000-word hardcover book. It could be a series of articles for your website or a commemorative magazine-style production. I'm happy to chat about what best suits your organisation.

Allen & Unwin - Australia

allenandunwin.com

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