Since someone who has written the histories of businesses and organizations because blooming over biographical articles, speeches, and sermons, I will tell you that it ' s a excite and a relief when I come across memoirs or autobiographical accounts during my research. Generally, I have to piece together someone ' s story using an obituary or other people ' s words.
Please don ' t let this happen to you or someone you disquiet about!
For the moment, let ' s hub on your business or organization.
Are you nearing retirement age, or have you retired? Or, do you daily grind for someone who fits this description? At some point you will want to tell the story of your business, and that wish interpolate the stories of your founder and key players ( like you ). Please capture the information now.
I ' m sure you ' ve worked with reporters over the years, and you haven ' t always been pleased with what they ' ve written. You want control over your story, and hiring your own writer is a better way to go. Remember that whatever has been written about you will be " out there " and available " forever. " The best thing you can do is add what YOU want to the written record.
One client of mine ' s company used to ask retiring senior level employees to write an autobiographical statement before they retired. That was 25 years ago, and this client has since reinstated the policy after I wrote their business history earlier this year. Those few statements were invaluable! For every other key player in the company I had a lot more digging to do and often came up rather empty.
Given advances in technology, you could record ( audio or video ) a lengthy exit interview that would include personal and work history information. Often times that ' s easier than asking someone to write an essay!
You would keep the information on file for when you are ready to write your history, but you could also use it for:
The person ' s retirement party ( create a small booklet for everyone to have )
Celebrating a company milestone ( a client recently celebrated their 50th anniversary and some of the founders attended; we created a wonderful display with their stories )
A press release about the person ' s retirement or your milestone celebration
Also think about sharing the information with your local historical society and public library. Your business or organization is part of the community, and so are you and your key people. Libraries and historical societies usually keep information on VIPs, and the stories almost always include something about local history. Depending on who the story is about, think about who else would want a copy of your information. The person ' s hometown historical society? College archives?
For a recent business history I wrote for a client ' s 175th anniversary I read a wonderful autobiographical essay by a former managing partner that included descriptions of " Old Boston " 175 years ago - boyhood memories. You can ' t find this stuff! It was a delight, and we sent a copy to Boston ' s historical society.
Please take control of your story, or the story of your senior level people, and " do something " now for the historical record. You, colleagues, and the families involved, will be glad you did!
