Amplify Author Spotlight: Val Ries

(Posted on Monday, April 10, 2023)

We are excited to feature Val Ries, author of Chief Inspiration Officer, as this month’s Amplify Author Spotlight!

Founder of Executive Muse (an executive coaching & management training company), Val helps leaders become the boss everyone wants to work for.

Starting her career as a registered nurse, Val transitioned to medical sales where she was quickly “thrown” into management. After earning her MBA and coaching certification, Val began to learn what it takes to intrinsically motivate others and ensure they actually want to come to work.

Through Val’s work with Executive Muse she coaches and trains high-impact leaders, at startups, Fortune 500 companies and small businesses. Her goal is to help them accomplish their vision of building powerful micro-cultures—and becoming a leader who increases productivity, decreases attrition and elevates employee engagement.

Val resides in the Bay area with her kids, husband and dog.

Learn more about Val’s publishing journey, her advice to authors, and the parallels she draws between leadership, writing, and dance below!

What advice would you offer to someone that’s currently working on a book?

I would advise you to not worry about getting your ideas perfectly organized when writing a book. Instead, just get them out. To organize my own thoughts, I start by creating a mind map on a poster board with the main theme in the middle and connecting bubbles for related ideas. This process helps me see where I can take the book and what different chapters might look like. From there, I just start writing and getting everything out, knowing that it’s better to have something to edit than nothing at all. So don’t be afraid to get your ideas down on paper, even if they don’t end up in the final product.

What most surprised you about the writing process?

In my experience, what surprised me the most about writing was how long it took. With the help of a writing coach, it took me 18 months to fully articulate what I wanted to say and start collecting stories and evidence to support my ideas. I was surprised by how difficult it was for me to be vulnerable at first and share my personal stories, despite the fact that people often connect with them. Initially, I held back on the vulnerability more than I should have. However, I learned that it’s important to just tell your story and share the story within the story.

When you originally set out to publish Chief Inspiration Officer, what was your goal?

I wrote Chief Inspiration Officer because I wanted to share my frustrations, failures, and the things I learned about being an effective leader. My goal was to get these nuggets out into the world so that others wouldn’t have to struggle through the same challenges I did when I was suddenly thrown into a management position. I wanted to alleviate this burden and help leaders create a healthy work environment. I care deeply about the employee experience and I know how burnout and dissatisfaction can affect both the leader’s morale and health, as well as the overall happiness of the company. By getting my message out there and teaching these techniques, I hoped to help the leader, the employee, and ultimately the company – a triple win.

Did Chief Inspiration Officer lead you to any unexpected opportunities?

In my experience, I initially worked with corporate companies that were looking for well-defined leadership training programs. However, I was surprised to find that I was also attracting small businesses that didn’t have an internal Learning and Development or HR team. Many of these were startups in between growth phases. I found myself becoming a fractional leadership consultant for them, which was something I hadn’t considered before. I enjoyed working with these leaders who were growing at a fast pace but didn’t have the infrastructure or internal resources to help them put systems in place for management and training development.

I also had the opportunity to meet coaches who were being approached by corporations looking for formal leadership training programs. They learned about my methods and ended up licensing the program through me, which was a pleasant surprise. Now, I’m considering how to scale this part of the business and expand my reach even further.

What is something people may not know about you?

I consider myself an artist in my second life. As I went on this journey of writing and building a business, I found myself getting more excited about the creative process and the behind-the-scenes work, such as designing the book cover. I was determined to find the perfect cover that spoke to my soul and truly represented my work. It took me working with what seemed like five hundred different designers until I found the right one.

Moreover, I’ve noticed that my passion for dancing keeps resurfacing in my life. I feel a sense of excitement and a release of creativity when I hear music and start to move. It’s interesting to see the parallels between leadership, my writing and my passion for dancing. They involve unleashing creativity in myself and my team, being in a state of flow, having fun, and being vulnerable with others.

What are you currently reading or what books do you most often recommend to others?

Well, mine of course; just kidding! I read a lot of fiction books because they provide a much-needed escape from the world of business and culture that I deal with on a daily basis. However, my go-to books for business-related topics are by Daniel Pink. He does a fantastic job discussing culture and his book, Drive, is a favorite of mine. Recently, I picked up a book called, Managing Narcissists, Blamers, Dramatics and More…, by Mark Murphy. It’s important for leaders to know how to manage those who bring down the energy of the team and not let them affect the entire group. I also like Brene Brown, Simon Sinek, and Adam Grant, among others, anyone who is inspiring us to be better.

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