Mark Schaefer on book writing processes, the right questions, community value, and the courage to experiment

“You can’t be an expert. But you need to know enough to survive, to lead, and you need to have the courage to keep experimenting.”

– Mark Schaefer

About Mark Schaefer

Mark is a globally recognized keynote speaker, educator, business consultant, and bestselling author of 10 books, most recently “Belonging to the Brand”. His blog {grow} is one of the top marketing blogs in the world. Mark has advanced degrees in marketing and organizational development, holds seven patents, and is faculty for the graduate studies program at Rutgers University.

Website: businessesgrow.com
LinkedIn: Mark Schaefer
Twitter: @markwschaefer
Facebook: Mark Schaefer
Instagram: @markwschaefer
YouTube: @MarkSchaefer

What you will learn

• Writing a book by anchoring it to a pivotal question. (03:41)
• Assessing the potential benefits and challenges of integrating AI in writing (06:31)
• The enduring importance of questioning in leadership, decision-making, and adaptation (10:38)
• Acknowledging the superiority of collaborative insights over individual content consumption (13:50)
• Distinguishing audience from community (18:06)
• Engaging in experimental learning, pushing boundaries, and driving progress (19:35)
• The community’s role in guiding individuals through new technologies (22:57)
• Emphasizing the importance of staying relevant in the face of technological advancements (24:19)
• Amplifying your unique voice in this modern world (29:14)
• Embracing trend curatorship for forward-thinking insights(30:06)
• Introduction of the dog barking analogy of Drucker (33:40)

Episode Resources

OpenAI, ChatGPT4
Evernote
Midjourney

Books
“Belonging to the Brand: Why Community is the Last Great Marketing Strategy”, by Mark Schaefer
“Thriving on Overload”, by Ross Dawson

Transcript

Mark Schaefer: Ross, I can’t believe I’m actually seeing you in real life. I’ve been stalking you for 10 years, my friend.

Ross Dawson: You have authored 10 books that are well ahead of most models. I’d love to hear, how is it that you distill all of the insights you get and package that into these books, this wisdom that other people are able to use and apply.

Mark: I have a quite unique and very efficient process. What I’ll do is once I have the concept for the book, it takes some time to process that, to really have it click in and say, “Yes, this is it!”. Because for me, writing a book is a big and personal risk. It’s a lot of sacrifice so I need to know I’m right. 

Ross: I’d like to find out how you know you’re right because that’s in a way that ultimately leads you to synthesis.

Mark: Here’s how I know I’m right. Because I look around the world for a problem I can’t solve. I keep hearing the same thing from CMOs or business executives, and then all of a sudden, someone will say, I just can’t sleep at night, this is driving me crazy. Okay,