by David W. Sutherland
The idea for the book, Bedu: Bedouin Boy, Poet King, was a profoundly simple journey with my friend and co-writer, Paul McKellips. It was conceived from our shared experiences and born from our hearts.
So, why did we write the book?
First, as fathers of five honorable young men between us, we still share ongoing discussions about their life journeys. We often ask our young children, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” But for the struggling college graduate – who may have changed majors two or three times and now faces a mountain of student loan debt – we may ask, “what do you want to do with your life?”
No matter who you are or what stage of life you find yourself in, two governing words of the universe – “be” and “do” – apply to you as well. Who we are…and what we do! Self-discovery is not a static event that happens in a split-second of enlightened epiphany with burning candles and incense.
We wrote Bedu because self-discovery is a lifetime journey that all of us must take and measure daily.
Second, our experiences solving problems within military culture during operations in the Middle East revealed that everything begins and ends with culture. Culture is a collection of those subjective foundations – the very heartbeats of motive and raison d'être – that exist within organizations and individuals alike. The ancients used the stars for guidance, direction, and meaning. The stars often dictated how people would relate to “be” and “do.”
So, our new novel – Bedu: Bedouin Boy, Poet King – evolved into this fantastical journey about self-discovery and finding culture through seven guiding stars.
Finally, our experiences post military – observing organizations trying to address challenges in today’s business world – revealed that something as seemingly complex as corporate culture, needed something as profoundly simple as a shepherd boy from Damascus. We know these “Seven Stars” are necessary to shift every organization’s culture in the right direction. Changing an organization’s culture does not happen in a 3-day seminar with thought clouds, white boards and slide decks. Cultural shift is a journey – a profoundly simple journey – and it begins with leaders who are willing to step out and lead from the front!
If you have two hours to invest may I recommend our new novel, Bedu: Bedouin Boy, Poet King whic is in print, eBooks, and audiobooks on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, BookBaby and fine book retailers worldwide.
