Aloha Publishing

What has your team been seeing in you that you haven’t yet recognized in yourself?

That question is at the heart of Michael Strickland’s A Different Kind of Leader: Rediscovering Leadership Through Nature’s Quiet Teachers.

Our habits, instincts, and decisions affect the people around us. A response we consider efficient might leave someone feeling unheard. A familiar routine might make it harder for someone to contribute.

Michael introduces six leadership portraits, each paired with an animal whose instincts offer a fresh perspective on how we lead. They invite readers to recognize their patterns and consider what their teams need from them.

At Aloha, we love books that give readers something meaningful to do. Here’s a place to begin: ask someone on your team, “What’s one thing I do that helps you and one thing I could change?”

Then give yourself time to listen.

Explore Michael’s six leadership portraits: https://amzn.to/4e91HqH

What can a koi pond teach us about leadership? 🐟

When we first met Michael Strickland, he told us his backyard koi were some of his most important teachers. We wanted to hear more!

After more than 50,000 hours coaching business owners, executives, and leadership teams, Michael found fresh insight in caring for his pond: his choices shaped the environment his fish depended on to thrive. Small adjustments mattered. So did paying attention.

That lesson reaches far beyond the water. As leaders, we help create the conditions our teams work in every day. What are we doing to help them thrive?

We’re delighted to celebrate the launch of A Different Kind of Leader: Rediscovering Leadership Through Nature’s Quiet Teachers. It has been a joy to help bring Michael’s insights to the page.

Join us in congratulating Michael (and meet his quiet teachers)!

Get your copy: https://amzn.to/4e91HqH

You can have an idea worth sharing without knowing how to do every part of the work that brings it to life.

We see this at Aloha Publishing all the time. Someone has years of experience, a fresh perspective, or a story that could help others. They may have no idea how to turn it into a book. That’s where working with a writer, editor, or designer can take the idea further.

The same is true well beyond publishing. A coach can ask the question you haven’t considered. A strategist can spot a connection you’ve missed. An accountant can handle work that would take you hours.

One of the gifts of experience is being able to say, “I’m really good at this, and you’re really good at that.”

Where are you working too hard to master something that someone you know already does brilliantly?

People may enjoy a book they read.

But they’re more likely to remember and *recommend* a book they experienced.

Oprah’s Book Club recently celebrated its 30th anniversary with a month-long experience that included a reading challenge, achievement badges, curated recommendations, and a podcast reunion. Each element gave readers another way to participate in the community surrounding the books.

Authors can create that same sense of connection on a smaller scale.

When readers practice an idea, join a conversation, attend an event, or share their progress, your book becomes part of their lives. That participation can help it travel farther through:

• Personal recommendations
• Book club and team discussions
• Shared results and success stories
• Workshops and speaking opportunities
• Ongoing reader communities

Reader engagement can become a powerful marketing strategy!

Finishing your book shouldn’t mean the reader’s experience is over.

MrBeast demonstrated this on a massive scale by launching his book with hidden clues, weekly eliminations, and a competition worth $1 million. The campaign gave readers something to *DO*.

Fortunately, you don’t need a million-dollar prize to apply the same principle.

Your book might invite readers to:

• Take an assessment
• Complete a seven-day challenge
• Download a worksheet or checklist
• Attend a workshop
• Try one idea and share the result
• Discuss a question with their team or family

The goal is to create a natural bridge between reading your book and putting its ideas into practice.

Ask yourself:

What is the first thing I want readers to do after they close my book?

That answer could shape everything from your reader resources to your launch campaign. No million-dollar budget required!

Meet the cats behind Aloha Publishing! 🐱📚

These talented assistants specialize in manuscript cuddles, surprise Zoom appearances, and sitting exactly where our team members need to work:

🐾 Lincoln follows Heather around, steals small objects, and stashes them throughout the house.

🐾 Tombo, Beth’s ragdoll cat, loves scaling high ledges, carrying around his pink shoelace, and performing especially impressive flops.

🐾 Freddy and Millon lounge in their catio and keep Jess company while she brings beautiful books to life.

🐾 Walter divides his time between play-fighting with Nation’s daughter, Mira, and cuddling with his son, Valor.

🐾 Olivine, named after Nicole’s favorite mineral, enjoys making surprise Zoom appearances whenever a meeting needs a quick nuzzle.

They may not appear on our official team page, but these cats are an important part of daily life at Aloha Publishing.

Do you have a feline coworker who “helps” while you work or write? Introduce us in the comments! 🐈

Meet the dogs behind Aloha Publishing! 🐶📚

These hardworking assistants are always nearby while our team edits manuscripts, proofreads pages, and designs beautiful books:

🐾 Lucy, Jen’s 12-year-old Labrador, loves walks, treat-fueled ring toss, and snuggling with Stinky the Skunk.

🐾 Ori, Megan’s white Swiss shepherd, enjoys hide-and-seek, every possible variation of fetch, and getting the zoomies whenever someone says “Victorian.” (Maybe because his name is hiding inside it: VictORIan.)

🐾 Bowie, Rachel’s 13-year-old pup, loves opening presents and once helped his late fur-sister, Bindi, stop a fugitive in Rachel’s backyard!

They may occasionally interrupt the workday to request a walk, a treat, or a round of fetch, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Does a dog keep you company while you work or write? Tell us about your canine coworker in the comments! 🐕

The right signature speech can open doors your book cannot walk through on its own.

It can introduce your ideas to new audiences, create meaningful connections, and lead people toward your book, your services, and the rest of your work.

And the beginning of that speech may be simpler than you think. Start with three building blocks:

💡 One idea that helps the audience see something differently
❤️ One story that makes them feel why that idea matters
➡️ One next step that helps them put it into practice

You can add the research, supporting points, humor, and audience interaction later. First, make sure your speech has a clear idea, an emotional connection, and somewhere useful to take the audience.

Your speech opens the door. What you’ve built beyond the stage gives people a reason to walk through it.

Your signature speech should not be a book report.

Your audience doesn’t need every lesson, story, and framework from your book packed into one presentation. They need one meaningful idea they can remember (and repeat) the next day.

Ask yourself:

What do I want the audience to remember tomorrow?

Build everything else around that answer. Choose stories that make the idea matter. Offer insights that make it clearer. Give the audience a reason to continue the conversation through your book, your work, or your community.

What is the one idea from your book that deserves a stage?

Your book probably has a signature speech hiding inside it. 🎤

You’ve already done the hard work: finding the stories, ideas, and frameworks you want to share. Now it’s time to take them beyond the page.

And you don’t need to wait for a 500-person keynote to start.

Give the speech at a book club. A classroom. A Rotary Club. A professional association. A lunch-and-learn.

Every time you give it, you’ll learn what makes people laugh, lean in, and remember you. And the more you give it, the more natural it becomes.

Your book made you write down the ideas. Now go say them out loud.

If you had 10 minutes on stage to share ONE idea from your book, what would you want the audience to remember?