Hal Chappelear

Leading the way onto our shelves is the newest addition to the Atlantic Publishing library is Hal Chappelear's book, The Miracle of Humble Leadership: Helping Good People Become Great.

Want to know more about Hal's writing routine and inspiration? Keep reading to find out more about our latest author.

Tell us about your journey to becoming a writer.

I spent thirty years with one of our nation’s premier pharmaceuticals companies, where I rose from sales representative to executive vice president. As an employee, I was engaged with marketing, sales, and peripherally, clinical pharmaceutical research. Working for a research-based company, I learned early on the necessity of the written word as a medium for communicating findings associated with the research endeavor—the results of pharmaceutical research must be effectively communicated to medical professionals for patients to benefit from the pharmaceuticals that were studied in the laboratory and clinic. After 5 years in field sales, I was assigned to “home office” where my first assignment was writing education-based notes. These notes became the basis for verbal sales presentations by the sales force, as well as advertising campaigns via a variety of media. After spending an additional twenty-eight years teaching and conducting leadership workshops in academia, I was encouraged to share my experiences in the form of a book.

What was the main inspiration behind your book?

After carefully studying the literature on leadership, I found that, in general, leadership, as it was being practiced, was costing individuals and corporations an enormous amount of time and money with little success. My own experience in leadership centered around identifying behaviors that were not serving me well and replacing those habits with positive ones, and thus, I decided to write a book that would describe a leadership process which has a high probability of being successful.

What kind of research did you have to do for it?

My experience on the topic derives from more than twenty-five years of experience conducting leadership workshops in the academic setting, my years in the business community, and a rigorously maintained awareness of the literature on the subject.

What was your writing routine?

There was no routine in the early years because of other, more pressing responsibilities. After giving up some of the other responsibilities and beginning a more focused writing effort, I tried to spend two to three hours focused on writing each morning, Monday through Friday. When the “raw draft” was complete, I would spend the same amount of time each Friday with my editor, then whatever time required making corrections and rewrites.

Describe your book in one sentence.

Leadership in America has failed, but those who humbly commit themselves to the service of others will see their institutions, relationships, and personal lives flourish.

Do you have any upcoming events?

Not at this time.

Tell us something about you that your fans may not know or something that you want to share.

My “fans” (if I have any) in imagining my personality and the humility which I revere, may not expect to find in me the disciplined, hard-driving business person who is intent to win at all costs.

Why should people read your book?

There is a greater need for humble leadership in our country today than at any other time in our history. Personal and corporate scandals, microaggressions, call-out and cancel culture, systemic racism and many other critical issues, stem in some way from the increasingly self-centered nature of our citizens, especially those in positions of corporate responsibility and leadership. We, as a nation, are giving real life to the statement: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results.” My book shows the truly concerned individual how to take the “spotlight” off themselves and consider what they can do for others to contribute to their flourishing as an individual and important member of society!