Introduction
Scrolling through some academic databases the other day, I stumbled upon something unexpected: several citations of an article I co-authored with Dr. S. Jones back in 2020 — Jones, S. and Van Hulst, J. (2020). Leadership and Digital Transformation: Building Strategic Conversations. Eight!
Nobel Prize?
Now, I know we’re not talking about Nobel territory here, but still — that’s different researchers (or at least bibliographies) who thought our work was worth mentioning. I’ll admit, I was genuinely surprised. Not because the article wasn’t any good (we were quite proud of it), but because in the whirlwind of projects, workshops, and the occasional espresso-fueled late-night editing session, I’d honestly forgotten how widely this topic resonates. Strategic conversations around digital transformation are clearly still very much alive — and apparently, so is this paper!
Not too much ego.
Of course, seeing this gave me a tiny ego boost and a slightly larger nudge: “Hey… maybe I should write more.” But here’s the twist: not another academic article. Not a book on leadership. Not even on learning technologies. No, if I ever sit down to write a book, it might just be a novel. Yes — a plot, characters, suspense, maybe even a slightly unhinged AI or a retired change consultant solving mysteries in a small coastal town. Stranger things have happened, right?
For now, though, I’ll bask in the glory of these lovely citations (see picture!) — and keep having strategic conversations of the non-fiction kind. Once upon a time………