For the last few weeks, I’ve moved from editing mode to media-whore/marketing mode. Truth be told, I prefer the former to the latter, but the fleas come with the dog.

As I recently tweeted:

#Writing is easy. #Marketing is hard.

— Phil Simon (@philsimon) January 31, 2015

Some of my friends and media contacts are a bit surprised about the subject of Message Not Received. Questions have included:

• Why such a departure?
• Why write a book about business communication as opposed to, say, the Internet of Things?
• Wouldn’t that make more sense?
• After all, aren’t you a tech and data guy?

These are all valid queries. In fact, I spoke with a publisher about a writing a book on the Internet of Things but the passion wasn’t there. Sure, it’s cool, but it’s a ways off and most organizations are still struggling with many of the new technologies and concepts.

Why write this book?

To paraphrase the inimitable Krusty the Clown, let me be blunt:

Organizations usually squander the massive opportunities that data and technology provide because their employees can’t effectively communicate. Period.

I can’t state it any simpler than that.

Simon Says

When viewed against that lens, Message Not Received is anything but a departure from my previous work. Effective communication is usually a necessary—but not sufficient—condition for success these days. Rare is the company that succeeds in spite of itself.