On Mondays I am almost invariably in my office with a schedule of coaching calls and other meetings. Today is no exception.

I start the day with a call with my colleague Sandra Morson, with whom I am planning a book. We both work one to one with men and women in leadership roles, helping them to develop the capabilities which, together, are increasingly labelled “emotional intelligence” or “leadership competencies”. Although there is plenty of published research about what makes for a successful leader, it isn’t so easy to know how to develop as an emotionally intelligent leader.

Collaborating in writing a book is a way of sharing our experiences with a wider audience than we can possibly reach one to one. Having mapped out the structure and content of the book we are starting to make contact with potential publishers. This morning we start planning a proposal which we aim to submit to a publisher with whom we are already in contact.

As I put the phone down at the end of our call I notice the excitement I feel about this project. I think of the men and women who will find this book an invaluable resource as they prepare for leadership or as they address the challenges that face them in their current leadership role. And I think of the joy I experience: in collaborating with Sandra, in writing, in finding out how to make something happen that I have never done before – as well as in reaching and supporting this much wider audience.