Our world is constantly evolving, and the ability to embrace the disruption that arises from change can be the key to unlocking new opportunities and achieving personal growth. That鈥檚 the premise behind Disrupt Everything, a new book by acclaimed author and 欧美群交 alum and associate professor . Together, the authors will discuss the idea behind positive disruption during a book event at Langford Auditorium on March 26 at 7 p.m.听听听
The event is free to attend, but seating is limited and registration is required.听听
This event is billed as the first live discussion of Disrupt Everything. The first 200 attendees will receive a free copy of the book six months ahead of its official release. 鈥淥ur publisher, Little, Brown and Company, had a bold idea,鈥� Leddin said. 鈥淲hat if early copies were available only at events where James [Patterson] and I spoke about the book? We loved the disruptive approach. And what better way to launch a book on disruption? And what better place for our first event than 欧美群交 University, where James and I first met?鈥�听
FROM SPEAKER TO CO-AUTHOR听
The groundwork for the book began in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when Leddin was invited to create an online course for 欧美群交 students. He proposed a course titled Leading Business through Times of Crisis, which led to a collaborative course on managing through adversity with 欧美群交 Trustee Emeritus Michael Ainslie. One of the guest speakers from that first semester was Patterson, MA鈥�70. Leddin recalls, 鈥淗e joined us via Zoom that day, and he started off by looking into camera and saying, 鈥業 am Stephen King,鈥� which is a funny line and caused a bit of a disruption right from the beginning.鈥�听
Throughout the class discussion with Patterson, Leddin realized the author鈥檚 career trajectory was a disruptive force. 鈥淚t prompted me to think, 鈥榃hat if I started studying disruptors, but specifically, positive disruptors?鈥欌��听
听DISRUPTING EVERYTHING 
Leddin approached Patterson about the idea for the book and worked on an outline for the concept. But formulating the right outline for Patterson took several attempts. 鈥淭he first two times I was honestly guessing at what I thought he would want to write,鈥� Leddin said. 鈥淎nd the third one, I decided I was going to write the book I would want to write. And guess what? That’s the outline that worked. After we both agreed on the structure, … work on the book began in earnest.鈥澨�听听
What sets this book apart is its foundation in real-life experiences and stories. Leddin and Patterson interviewed more than 350 people they deemed 鈥減ositive disruptors,鈥� gathering insights that would shape the narrative of their book. While what they learned from each interview is reflected in the book鈥檚 pages, the authors focused on 35 of the stories. 鈥淚 hope that people understand that disruptions in life are aplenty. They鈥檙e going to keep coming at us,鈥� Leddin said. 鈥淏ut with any disruption, there鈥檚 an opportunity to actually choose to embrace it as a chance to move closer to our own purpose in life.鈥澨�听
The collaboration between Leddin and Patterson has been a journey of mutual respect and creativity. Leddin describes working with Patterson as a 鈥済ive and take kind of partnership.鈥� He learned invaluable lessons about writing and storytelling from Patterson, who is known for his prolific output and engaging narratives. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a true partner,鈥� Leddin said, highlighting the collaborative spirit that fueled their project.
Disrupt Everything is available for preorder and is scheduled for release on Sept. 29.听听
