Hey Reader! From time-to-time, I write for external publications, including the Harvard Business Review (HBR). Maybe you found me because of it (and that alone makes the hard work worthwhile!)

I just had a new article published, co-written with my dear friend and super smart colleague Jordan Stark, a C-Suite coach in Silicon Valley. It's called "Leading After Your Predecessor Fails," and a few of you might even see yourselves in it. 😇

➡️ Read it here (gift link, so you should be able to access anytime, even if you're not an HBR subscriber).

​ (If you're interested, here's the list of my five HBR articles to date. )

Now, next to coaching you or speaking to your group in-person (face-to face or online), writing is my next favorite way to offer fresh perspectives on what's working in the new world of work--and what's not.

When I write these notes to you, I have 99% control over getting my message written and published (leaving the 1% for the occasional interference by the internet pixies.)

But I write for high-profile pubs like HBR, my level of control drops dramatically. 📉 ↘️⤵

That lack of control calls for different skills.

So as I reflected on the lessons I've learned writing for HBR and others--places where I have little control once they say "yes" to my idea--here's what I discovered.

The lessons

1. Yes is the beginning, not the end.

We submitted the article for consideration in early March. Then we got the first "yes"--my editor would take it to her team's pitch meeting to see what they thought.

A week later, we got the next "yes"-- they accepted it for publication. But were we done? No way.

By now, my co-author Jordan and I had spent over a month researching and writing the piece. Now, we started the hardest part--waiting for the edits to be complete.

Hearing yes didn't stop any clock--it started one. It's good to remember that most things worth doing these days take many yeses--so calibrate your energy accordingly.⚡️

2. Silence does not equal rejection.

After the "yes" in March, we heard crickets in April. 🦗 🦗 🦗

A follow-up note confirmed the article was still alive, with edits on their way "within a week."

The week passed. May passed. Tumbleweeds tumbled as summer began. 🏖️

Silence often feels like rejection, right? Our big beautiful brains want to fill the gap (literally) and trick us into believing things like, "if they cared, they would have followed up." Or "you don't matter enough for them to remember you."

But silence wasn't rejection here.

Truth is, it's never rejection until you've officially been rejected. I watch too many people cut off their possibilities too soon when they don't hear back. That's why lesson #3 is so important.

3. Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up

We never know what the silence really means. The only way to find out for sure is to follow-up.

Yet too many of us fail at this small and generous act.

​(Read: Are You a Folllow-Up Failure? How to Stand Out By Checking In)​

So, every month, I'd send a short note. Still plan to use the article? Anything you need from us? etc.

No blame, no pressure, no reminders that our editor said she'd be done in a week and it's now seven weeks later . . .😇

Eventually, we'd get proof of life responses--yes, it's almost through editing, etc. Along the way, we learned that the HBR team was resetting its direction and rethinking the articles it wanted. They were neck-deep in reshuffling roles and launching a new site for execs.

So, the great disappearing act by our editors wasn't about us at all. It was about our editor and her team doing the best they could during a stressful time.

Eventually, the follow-up paid off, and we got the final edits back (not a whole lot--certainly not four months' worth). Knowing timing is everything, we made the changes and shipped it back within 24 hours.

A week later, the article is out in the world, ready to help leaders who need it.

A final word

So how about you, Reader? Which of these lessons do you need to apply right now? Hit REPLY and tell me.

Thanks for reading both the HBR article and my somewhat longer note today. You know, all of my writing is inspired by real people just like you, doing their best to manage in the real world of work today. So your stories and ideas matter, now more than ever. I appreciate you being here more than you know. ❤️

Always, Darcy

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P.S. While it doesn't count as "my" article, I was also recently interviewed for another HBR article called "How to Communicate with Your Team When Business is Bad." Take a read especially if you're struggling with what to say to your team during tough times. And of course, if you'd like help with that, schedule a coaching consultation with me here and let's get you the support you need! --D

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