Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a true believer in people’s potential of becoming amazing versions of themselves, so I’m constantly crafting new ways and tools for helping people to trust themselves, as I consider this the first step of embarking on a wonderful journey of enjoying life while achieving personal objectives.
I worked for twenty years in multinational technology companies, leading large global teams, transformation programs, and setting up business units. In August 2022, I took my boldest professional decision: to take a career break and dedicate my time to writing about what I learned, practiced, succeeded and failed as a person, professional, leader, female: leadership, continuous learning, resilience, authenticity, creativity, curiosity, storytelling, public speaking, trends and futurism, cognitive biases, diversity and inclusion.
I started this amazing writing journey by publishing several workbooks for adult development addressing creativity, resilience and active learning, in English and Romanian.
In March 2023, “Storytelling Fuel. From Quarry to Jewel” – my first book, has been released.
In May 2023, I started publishing a short reads series – “The Zen of Office Politics: How to Stay Calm, Confident, and Sane in a Jungle of Drama, Competition, and Emojis”, currently including three books: “Office Politics is PERCEPTION of Office Politics”, “Understanding How Personalities and Power Dynamics Shape Office Politics”, “Virtual Office Politics and Cultural Differences”. The series will have seven short books. Later, I might transform it into a full-flavored single business book.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“The Zen of Office Politics: How to Stay Calm, Confident, and Sane in a Jungle of Drama, Competition, and Emojis” is my latest book and it is inspired by real events I’ve witnessed, participated or triggered during my career.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
From time to time, I write by hand, on my Remarkable.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am an avid reader and I believe everything I ever read has influenced me in one way or another. Some of the authors I love and I am consciously aware they’ve influenced me are Brene Brown, Susan Cain, Michio Kaku, Max Tegmark, Nicholas Nassim Taleb, Malcolm Gladwell, Susanna Clarke, Alix E. Harrow, Celeste Ng, Brandon Sanderson, Arthur C. Clarke, Emile Zola. I apologize to all the others for not mentioning their names.
What are you working on now?
I prefer some diversity in my work so I have more ongoing projects.
I am implementing the editor’s feedback for the remaining books in the “The Zen of Office Politics” series (“Types of Power. How to Network Effectively in a Virtual Workplace”, “Conflict Management and Virtual Office Politics”, “Impostor Syndrome and Virtual Office Politics”, “Career Advancement in Virtual Environments”).
Secondly, I am close to finalizing the research phase of a new book looking into the impostor phenomenon.
And third, I flip through my hundreds of pages of notes looking for the next book.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use LinkedIn to share my blog posts on topics covered by my books, my Facebook author page for a less subtle promotion, and Amazon ads. But I believe that’s far from enough and I explore additional options (GoodReads, Pretty-Hot, BookBub, etc.)
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never forget why you started writing.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“The most important step is the next step” (thank you, Brandon Sanderson and Dalinar!)
What are you reading now?
As part of the research for my next project, I am reading lots of scientific research papers on the impostor phenomenon and complementary subjects.
When it comes to books I currently read “The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World” by David Deutsch and Brandon Sanderson’s “Warbreaker”.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Besides more books, it’s also embedding more of the concepts I write about in my soon-to-be-launched Management Consulting business.
And, a longer-term plan is an epic fantasy.
What is your favorite book of all time?
I have three 🙂
– “Life 3.0” by Max Tegmark,
-“The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry,
– “Skin in the Game” by Nicholas Nassim Taleb.
Author Websites and Profiles
Carmen Kolcsár Website
Carmen Kolcsár Amazon Profile
Carmen Kolcsár’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account