(Spoiler: Herding cats turned out to be the easy part.)
🐾 Cats Don’t Carpool: The Leadership Blog Series
Herding Cats, Managing Chaos, and Leading with Less Hiss
When I started writing Cats Don’t Carpool: They Come in Their Own Accord, I thought I was writing a quirky leadership book about personalities, teams, and trust — told through the lens of my cats (and, of course, Bailey).
But somewhere between editing, rewriting, and laughing at my own metaphors, I realized I wasn’t just writing about leadership. I was living it.
Here are five things I didn’t expect to learn along the way.
🐈 1. Leadership Lessons Sneak Up on You (Usually Covered in Fur)
The cats didn’t wait for me to “design” the lessons. They showed them to me — in their own messy, hilarious, authentic ways.
Ninja taught me about trust. Chloe modeled authority. Gracie reminded me to play. And Bailey? He showed me what calm leadership really looks like.
Sometimes, leadership doesn’t announce itself with a PowerPoint — it walks across your keyboard.
🐾 2. You Can’t Rush the Process (Especially When Cats Are Involved)
Writing a book — like leading a team — takes patience.
Every time I tried to force a section or set an unrealistic deadline, the words refused to cooperate (much like my feline coworkers).
Progress happens when you give space for creativity and clarity to stretch — preferably in a sunbeam.
🧭 3. Humor is a Leadership Skill
The more I wrote, the more I realized how much humor softens hard truths.
Laughter invites reflection, lowers defenses, and makes learning stick.
You can’t fix burnout or ego with another memo, but you can use a little humor to help people see themselves more clearly — and kindly.
🐕 4. Leadership is Deeply Personal
Every story I wrote — every archetype — reflected someone I’ve worked with, led, or been.
Writing this book forced me to look at my own habits, insecurities, and moments where I’d tried too hard to control outcomes.
Leadership isn’t about managing others. It’s about managing yourself.
✨ 5. The Message You Write is Often the One You Need Most
I thought I was writing this book for leaders.
Turns out, I was writing it for the part of myself that still struggles to let go, trust the process, and believe that good things grow best when you stop forcing them.
Sometimes, you write the book — and sometimes, the book writes you.
🐈 Final Meows
Writing Cats Don’t Carpool wasn’t just about cats or leadership. It was about learning that the best leaders (and writers) lead with curiosity, patience, and heart.
Whether you’re herding cats, guiding teams, or writing through self-doubt, you’ll get further with trust, a little humor, and maybe a few treats along the way.
📘 Cats Don’t Carpool: They Come in Their Own Accord is available now!