'Christmas is so many things, but it is also quite simply a moment of pause between the year that's ending and the year ahead. And as every writer knows, pauses can be extraordinarily powerful.'

It may be the most wonderful time of the year, but Christmas is also very often a hot mess of busy-ness, stress and tricky relationships. So in these few days as the excitement/expectations build, here's an invitation to press pause, just for a few minutes, and try something a little different. 

Because Christmas - together with the odd days of Twixmas that follow ahead of the new year - is a great opportunity to press pause just for a few minutes. And sometimes, that the gift we REALLY needed. 

'Almost every experience that I have is a story that I'm going to tell.'

We often think of great leadership as ‘magic,’ but the truth is that's a convenient excuse. Great leaders aren't born that way - they become great by leaning in to what John Amaechi describes as ' a very boring set of skills and a huge amount of personal effort'.

John's own background in the NBA showed him that the most extraordinary athletic achievements are the result of dull, consistent, mundane practice. That makes greatness accessible - though not necessarily easy - for anyone who chooses it.

One of the most fundamental skills of leadership is storytelling, and John is a master at turning the raw material of daily experience into stories that connect, challenge and inspire. He has a model of storytelling that I guarantee you'll never forget. And why turn stories into books? Because books force the 'so what?' question. And that changes everything. 

'The research shows that it's stories that are the most powerful mobilizers of change.'

What does 'story' mean to you? Zoe Arden asked that question of more than 100 people, beginning her research, as she encourages us all to begin our stories, by listening first. 

Leaders have at their disposal more facts and data than ever before, but the research and our lived experience confirms that facts and data are not what we need to catalyse real change. Our brains are wired in such a way that only stories have the power to mobilise us into action - they are, in Zoë's words, both levers of connection and levers of change, so understanding how they work is vital for any leader who wants to gets stuff done.  

But stories aren't just for telling, they're for living - and we need to make choices about the stories we tell ourselves, more or less consciously, just as much as the ones we craft for others. 

Zoë's own story of finding her voice as a writer amongst the many voices of her interviewees will be invaluable if you're drowning in reseach, and her remarkable journey to publication might just be the inspiration you need to get started... 

 'When you read a book... it's like when you watch a TV show or go to the theatre; you don't think about all of the work that went in behind the scenes.'

I don't know about you, but I couldn't claim any of the following distinctions before I turned 26: flying a spaceship, losing a million dollars, being fired by Simon Cowell or dodging paparazzi. 

Dominic Colenso, author of Cut-Through, ticked off all of these in the course of his acting career. Life is a little calmer now that he's discovered how his acting skills could translate into a unique framework for effective business communication, helping leaders and teams pitch and present with impact.

It turns out that rehearsing for a stage role has many parallels with preparing a business pitch, and even with writing a business book - not just delivering a message, but discovering the purpose, distilling the essence, drilling and debriefing repeatedly to get feedback on and refine the text. 

And if you've been making excuses as to why now isn't the right time to get started, prepare to have them blown away...