Author of the Month

     Nick Williams has over twenty-five years of successful business experience as a high technology executive primarily in telecommunications. He has been involved in several mergers / acquisitions, is a business advisor to several small businesses and has been a private investor through venture capital funds. Nick started his business career with IBM as a salesman and then sales manager. He was recruited to join Paradyne Corporation, one of the first high tech companies in the U.S. where he became Vice President of North American Sales and then Vice president and General Manager of the Advanced Technology Products Division. After Paradyne Nick was Vice President of International Operations for Tellabs Corporation and a corporate officer. He was the president of Network Access Solutions a provider of high speed DSL lines and CEO of Premisys Corporation a telecommunications equipment provider.

     Nick, a nationally acclaimed speaker, is the member of several Boards of Directors, and holds a B.S. degree in operations analysis from the U. S. Naval Academy. After I finished his book Behind the Mountain: A Corporate Survival Book I was amazed, not only did I find golden advice to help me get ahead in the corporate world, but I found a wealth of inspiration that would help me challenge any blizzard that might try to block my road to success.

Interview

Suzie Housley: Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to be interviewed for MyShelf.com.

Nick Williams: I was very excited when I heard you wanted to interview me. I've never been 'Author of the Month' before. Thank you.

Suzie Housley: When did your passion for writing begin?

Nick Williams: My passion for writing began after I had started to share my story in the form of motivational speeches. I wanted to capture the story along with the perspective of others who had helped me survive.

Suzie Housley: Could you provide us some background information on how 'Behind the Mountain: A Corporate Survival Book' was created?

Nick Williams: The blizzard I survived in 1998 is the story we are telling. My wife Patricia and I began writing it two summers ago. We wanted to tell the story from both our perspectives. We then interviewed others who were involved and the concept of the book began to take form.

Suzie Housley: For someone who works in the corporate world, and is trying to climb that ladder of success what advice would you give them?

Nick Williams: The five characteristics for success are good ones: Making and keeping commitments, Maintaining a positive attitude, Being resourceful, Persevering through difficult situations, and Instilling teamwork. Keeping these at the forefront of all interactions with your people and customers will help greatly in achieving success.

Suzie Housley: What do you feel is the most career ending action that can literally destroy a persons chances of a getting a promotion?

Nick Williams: Taking a negative approach with a customer can end a person's career quickly--------Companies know that their success is dependant on satisfied customers. Losing customers because of negative interaction is not acceptable.

Suzie Housley: Using family and friends to help develop 'Behind the Mountain: A Corporate Survival Book' was a very unique concept. Did you find it difficult keeping all the voices from overlapping each other?

Nick Williams: At times we did, but edited the story many times to ensure the voices were telling the story in the right sequence.

Suzie Housley: What power strength do you think is essential to use in order to project a professional image.

Nick Williams: Being positive and calm in the face of difficulty. This quite often sets people apart.

Suzie Housley: Writers are told to write daily and find their voice. Do you feel you have more than one voice in your writing?

Nick Williams: No. I am a new writer. I wrote daily until the book was complete and found my voice in this way.

Suzie Housley: Are you a daily disciplined writer? Do you find it difficult to stick to your schedule? Do you have certain tricks you use so that you don't stray from your writing?

Nick Williams: Luckily , I am very disciplined in my approach to writing, and I had deadlines that I set in order to keep on schedule.

Suzie Housley: How much time do you devote to marketing your book/s and what kind of marketing do you recommend?

Nick Williams: I spend 20% of my time marketing my books. This includes book tours, speaking engagements, and interviews. Most successful are the speaking engagements.

Suzie Housley: How many rewrites do you usually write before submitting it to a publisher?

Nick Williams: This is my first book. There were at least three rewrites.

Suzie Housley: Have you had any bad experiences in working with a publisher/agent or failed publication of writings done? If so, how did you handle it?

Nick Williams: No. This is my first book. It remains to be seen if the book will be a success.

Suzie Housley: Who are your favorite authors, and why do they inspire you?

Nick Williams: My favorite author is James Webb. He inspires me because he comes form a similar background. And, although he writes fiction, most of his books are based on fact. For example, 'A sense of Honor' is based upon his experience as a Midshipman at the Naval Academy.

Suzie Housley: Thank you for sharing your insights and habits with fellow writers to help inspire and empower everyone to move forward in their professional businesses and their own writing careers.

Nick Williams: Thank you, Suzie. It was my pleasure.

Reviews

Behind the Mountain
A Corporate Survival Book
Nick Williams with Patricia Williams and Katie Thompson Contributors
Durban House Publishing
March 2004
193075437
Buy a Copy
Non-Fiction/ True Story

Reviewed by Suzie Housley, MyShelf.com

     Behind the Mountain is sure to go down in history as one of the most remembered on the subject of how to maintain a positive attitude while climbing the corporate ladder. The background on the how Behind the Mountain: A Corporate Survival Book is based on true facts that actually occurred to author Nick Williams in 1998.

     Nick was leading a comfortable life being CEO of a prominent enterprise. On a planned ski trip he makes a wrong turn and finds himself trapped in a blizzard. Remarkably, he calls on his years of corporate survival and military training to get him through some of the harshest elements anyone has ever endured and survived. With his friends and families love and support he was able to conquer one and overcome the devastation that he endured in his life altering experience.

      While reading this book I marveled at the wisdom this author displayed. His calmness and courage made for a very inspirational book. Being a business major, I appreciated the simplicity in which it was written. I felt it offered a wealth of straightforward thought provoking advice that will not soon be forgotten.

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Booklist -AmazonCom- Behind the Mountian

2004's Honorary List