The Blog Takeover…sometimes a Chief of Staff must step in
They say that when people spend enough time together, they start to resemble each other. While Chiz and I may share a similar flair for fashion, I can say with certainty that—even after 15 years of knowing each other and 5 years of near-daily contact—we remain very different people.
As Roy Group’s Chief of Staff, I tend to thrive away from the limelight. There’s little glory and a whole lot of action behind the scenes, and that’s exactly how I like it.
But every now and then, I’ll step into the spotlight for a good reason—which is why I’m taking over this edition of our newsletter.
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Back in September 2022, Chiz asked me if I thought it would be possible for him to take a five-month sabbatical—and if so, what he’d need to do to make that happen. My optimistic answer was that of course it was possible. By saying it out loud, he’d already taken the first step.
Twelve months later, Chiz returned from his sabbatical with terrific adventures under his belt and major progress made toward his forthcoming book, QUIET CHAMPIONS: A WAY FORWARD for MENTORS in TURBULENT TIMES.
I return to that conversation often, because I’ve had a front-row seat to the energy, effort, and perseverance Chiz has poured into this book over the past three years. It would be impressive enough on its own, but he’s done it while simultaneously building and sustaining a business, serving clients in meaningful ways, spending quality time with his family, and investing in his own well-being.
As Chief of Staff, part of my role is to operationalize strategy, steer the ship, and—when needed—deliver reality checks. Often that means poking holes in ideas to see if they’ll float. The idea of Ian Chisholm writing a book has never required that treatment. Every pulse check over the last three years has confirmed it: Quiet Champions is not only a good idea, it’s a necessary one. Not because it’s the boss’s pet project, or because it might boost Roy Group’s bottom line (though we certainly wouldn’t complain). This book matters because the world needs it—and Ian Chisholm is the one who had to write it.
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In the weeks leading up to the book’s release, you’ll be hearing more from Chiz—and in different ways. Quiet Champions now has dedicated social media channels, and Chiz has already begun sharing “book-adjacent” writing on Substack. Soon we’ll unveil the official Quiet Champions landing page, where you’ll be able to find the book in print, e-book, and audiobook formats (yes, narrated by Chiz himself). We’ll also be releasing a research paper, Making Sense of Mentorship, highlighting the SenseMaker data we’ve collected—which many of you contributed your mentor stories to over the years.
Thank you for the tremendous interest and support you’ve shown Ian, and by extension Roy Group, throughout this book-making journey. Thank you for being our Quiet Champions.
Find and Follow Quiet Champions here:
Nina Moroso
Chief of Staff