How to Write a Hybrid Leadership Memoir

By Jeffrey A. Mangus

I had the privilege of assisting the CEO of a national corporation in narrating her family’s story. As we delved into the book, the author felt compelled to intertwine her business insights and teachings into her personal narrative. In fact, her business lessons formed the essence of her life story and demanded to be shared. The author’s blend of personal and professional experiences captivated me as a ghostwriter. Listening to and writing the stories was inspiring, engaging, and often riveting. Being right up front in the experience and leadership principles, I saw a super rare chance to learn and improve my business skills while being totally immersed in her awesome stories. It was a thought-provoking experience.

This was my first step into writing a “Hybrid Leadership Memoir.” You get two stories for the price of one. Leigh Stein describes it as “Memoirs Plus” with a twist, going beyond personal stories and giving readers a special and unique bonus. I’ve been ghostwriting for nine years and heard some amazing stories and leadership memoirs. The best part of writing those books was helping each author capture the essence of their stories while being a support as they relived those often hard and heartfelt moments. I was always in awe of their resilience and willingness to share their experiences to help someone else. Writing a hybrid memoir lets you share your story, grow personally, and inspire both yourself and the reader. 

If a memoir is a story about your life and nothing else, a hybrid business memoir is about your life, business journey, and helping others learn to better themselves. A hybrid memoir teaches others through stories of your experiences, the travesties, the challenges, the triumphs, and how you reached the edge of success. Writing a hybrid memoir is about telling the world about your personal journeys, intertwining your business experience and academic and historical achievements, and offering readers a story and journey of learning and discovery. It’s like getting two stories in one.

Although hybrid memoirs are not a genre with a clear category, each person can interpret them differently, making them challenging to write. To entice an aspiring leader, a memoir must offer something beyond the personal journey, and the “hybrid memoir” concept is a helpful way to think about how that can be done. A hybrid memoir needs to find a readership, and ultimately, readers want to see themselves in what you’re writing and connect with you. This connection makes a hybrid memoir a powerful and impactful form of storytelling.

As a ghostwriter, I know how to help the author explore their lives. Through the writing, I blend personal narrative with life leadership experience to provide a richer, more engaging reader experience. It takes a compelling narrative to intertwine personal stories with broader leadership teachings that keep readers engaged and invested. Since a hybrid leadership memoir needs to combine personal experiences and strategies for effective leadership, here are some tips for writing a gripping hybrid leadership memoir:

Consider the challenges you’ve faced: The lessons you’ve learned and the values driving your leadership approach must be told engagingly, with strong prose. When working with a ghostwriter, they can write a narrative that authentically portrays your experience with authority.

Identify key leadership principles: Define the core principles that influence your leadership style, such as honesty, empowerment, teamwork, or creativity. Can you give examples of how these principles influenced your decision-making and interactions with others? Brainstorm and make a list of turn-point events and the lessons you learned from each one.

Incorporate personal anecdotes: Your personal stories and anecdotes in your memoir breathe life into your experiences, revealing moments of triumph, failure, growth, and reflection that shaped your leadership journey. As you work with a ghostwriter, take the time to explore your personal insights and bring them to the page.

Include leadership strategies and insights: Provide successful techniques and valuable insights from your leadership experience. Give advice on topics including communication, team building, conflict resolution, and goal setting. All new aspiring leaders can read your story and benefit, which will help establish you as a leader dedicated to helping others. This is a huge part of leaving your legacy.

Reflect on challenges and setbacks: Now is the moment to be completely true to yourself, as this is the book’s essence. Being a ghostwriter, I enjoy delving into authors’ experiences and portraying their hardships and struggles in the book. My objective is to capture the essence of emotion and vulnerability in storytelling. Talk about the challenges and setbacks you’ve experienced as a leader and how you managed them. Reflect on how these experiences have shaped your resilience, adaptability, and perseverance. This is how to make an unforgettable book.

Highlight successes and achievements: Recognize your achievements as a leader and contemplate your impact on others and your organization. Share stories about projects that succeeded, teams that thrived, and goals that were accomplished.

Offer inspiration and encouragement: Let your memoir be a catalyst for inspiring, motivating, and empowering others to become exceptional leaders. Share your wisdom, lessons, and experiences to inspire others to lead with purpose, passion, and authenticity.

End your memoir with a reflection on your message: It could comprise a valuable lesson, a vision for what’s to come, or a plea for readers to put into practice what they’ve learned in their business. A hybrid leadership memoir combines personal storytelling with leadership wisdom, providing a unique perspective on courageous and compassionate leadership.

As a ghostwriter, I love telling and writing leadership stories. I know the right questions to ask to spur thought and reflection, pushing you to bring the best moments of your leadership to the page.

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If you are a leader and have a memoir or book idea you would like to discuss, please get in touch and get on my schedule.

JEFFREYMANGUS.com

About Me

“My name is Jeffrey A. Mangus. I work with powerful executives, leaders, entrepreneurs, and new authors who have incredible, life-changing stories and want to put it all into writing their business books or memoirs. Authors I work with have beaten adversity down, survived gut-wrenching challenges, and overcome them to reach the top. I love rags-to-riches stories that show tenacity, grit, and determination. I partner with individuals committed to motivating others, going the extra mile, thinking innovatively, and leaving a lasting impression.

Jeffrey A. Mangus is a 5x #1 Amazon bestselling ghostwriter and author with thirty-five (35) award-winning and bestselling books to his credit. Jeffrey has written for several major publishers, including: Harper Collins Leadership, Harper Collins Focus, Rowman & Littlefield, Tantor, Blackstone, Highbridge Audio, and Audible.