I recently read an amazing book called Human Fabric. He resonated so strongly with me that I just had to find and talk to the author himself, Bijoy Goswami.
Although it’s a rare privilege to speak with an author who has a dramatic effect on your life, it’s worth noting that Bijoy is more than just an author. He is also a musician, playwright, speaker, Oxford/Stanford Scholor, a tireless networker and entrepreneur, among many other things…
The interview.
DS: What inspired you to write Human Fabric?
BG: Interestingly, I had never planned to write a book. When I started my company, Aviri, my co-founder, Bruce and I began synthesizing what would eventually become the ‘MRE Framework’. Our original intention was to alert various opinion leaders to our ideas and have them promote them in their speaking and writing. Instead, they asked me to speak at conferences and meetings. While I was doing this, people often asked me, ‘So when is your book coming out?’ to which I would encourage them to read all the other wonderful books we had used to develop our ideas. ‘But you have a unique way of presenting them,’ they told me over and over again. For a long time I resisted writing because I felt like I wasn’t adding anything new to the conversation and why did the world need another book on a subject known for 5000 years? Eventually, a conversation with Betty Sue Flowers cleared it up for me. She told me that my job was to remind people of things we know but forget. This freed me up to start writing the book. Really, it was the encouragement of many wonderful people along the way that provided the inspiration.
DS: What are the three basic types of people you describe in the Human Fabric, and how can someone tell what type they are?
BG: The three types are: Maven, Relater and Evangelist. Chapters 1-4 describe these three in good detail. J The shorthand way of saying it is this: experts are driven by knowledge, storytellers by relationships, and evangelists by action. I think of these as ‘energies’. People, for some reason, are more connected with one, maybe two of these energies and this is reflected in many aspects of their personality, be it communication, relationships, learning, values, etc.
Discovering your main type is an ongoing process that never ends. My simplest recommendation is to read each chapter that describes all three types. As you experience the examples, you will be drawn to one of the three. Ask a friend who knows you very well to give you his impressions. It’s amazing how quickly you’ll get to your essence! I also work with a wonderful partner in Austin, Dorsey Cartwright, who helps people experience the three energies through a Voice Dialogue session. She has done this in group settings and the results are quite eye opening! While everyone can get in touch with all three energies, your ‘core’ energy becomes very clear.
DS: What was the most rewarding thing about writing and publishing your own book?
BG: It was the collaborations with my co-author, Dave Wolpert, the artist Tina Hudock, and the readers of the book. Dave put me in action and agreed to start the process with me. He had written his first book on scoliosis surgery and was experienced in the self-publishing process. Our many conversations and dialogues literally moved the ideas far beyond what I could have imagined. Tina is a dear friend who not only designed the cover and icons, but she also created three incredible paintings that visually capture the three types and their environments. Another friend, Steve Harper, has recently written his book, The Ripple Effect, which applies THF ideas to relationships.
The other gratifying aspect was when we received our first shipment of books, the day before the book launch party in Austin. It’s a wonderful feeling to touch and feel an object you helped create!
DS: What challenges did you have to overcome to publish your first book?
BG: My own inertia to start the process. Once we got going, things flowed amazingly. One of the innovations we developed was to include our readers early in the process. Most books are written with the author ‘going down a cave’ and emerging with the finished product. Instead, we decided to engage the audience during this time. It was a true blessing to receive amazing feedback that was incorporated into the final product. Having a number of paying customers before a single copy was printed was also a nice side result!
DS: Who are the writers who have inspired you on your journey?
BG: Wow, there are so many! Here are a few that come to mind right now: Dr. Seuss, Peter Drucker, Salman Rushdie, Herman Hesse, Paulo Coehlo, Lao Tzu, Michael Lewis, Malcolm Gladwell.
DS: What advice would you give budding authors reading this interview?
BG: Get started, do your job, find co-conspirators, and know you’re on a unique path. There is no way to make it happen!
On a more tactical note, consider self-publishing. Finding a publisher is a laborious process and you will be required to market your book with minimal resources and little to no financial benefit. Self-publishing (one way to boot!) will put him in the driver’s seat and unlock his creativity. The Internet is an amazing tool that you can use to research, promote, and sell your book.
DS: Could you tell readers a bit more about some of the other big projects you’re currently working on?
BG: Like you, I am passionate about entrepreneurship. More specifically, the form of entrepreneurship called ‘Bootstrapping’. In fact, one of my talks is on ‘How to boost your business’. There is a myth that large companies need a ton of startup capital to get going. The reality is that many large companies like Virgin, Microsoft and Dell started with very little money. A couple of years ago, I realized that not only was there not a voice for Bootstrapping, but there wasn’t much of a supportive community. So I got some of my friends together for a few beers at a local pub in Austin and Bootstrap Austin started. By chance, I met an amazing Maven, Darius Mahdjoubi, who studies Bootstrapping. We use the Darius model to organize the group and teach the beginners the ‘rules’ of the game. Bootstrap Network now has 450 members in Austin and has expanded to other cities in the US and India.
Other projects include a two-man play that I co-wrote and performed with my friend, Kert Peterson. I also love composing music and have recorded some of my own songs. I think about the world of Peter Gabriel and I hope to work with him one day.
DS: How do you ‘find the time’ to devote energy to so many different projects?
BG: By working with others and enrolling them in my efforts! Every project I’ve done has involved at least one other key ‘dance partner’. In fact, this is one of the great discoveries in The Human Fabric: no one who has ever achieved anything great did it alone. The myth of the solitary inventor, entrepreneur, author, musician is just that, a myth. Everyone is looking for dance partners or is lucky enough to recognize them when they appear. And usually, it’s someone whose core energy is the opposite of theirs! Think Bono (evangelist) and Edge (Maven) with U2; o Steve Jobs (Evangelist) and Steve Wozniak (Maven) with Apple Computer. Something magical happens when we bring others into our game and actually do more in the process.
I have been extremely lucky to find amazing dance partners and I look for them on a routine basis. When I find them, I keep exploring until we find the project we’re meant to work on. Dave and I played together before we started writing THF!
DS: What do you think it takes for people to live an inspired life?
BG: It takes belief in yourself and a commitment to endure the inevitable ‘Valleys of Death’. Nothing great comes without trials and tribulations. The Universe likes to make sure we are truly committed before giving us what we want. We will hear from all sides how it cannot be done. It’s up to us to keep going and cross the valley!
I will add that trust in the Universe is also needed. We are all truly part of one great Unity. Knowing this means that we don’t have to have all the answers, that our dreams are co-created, and that the resources we need will be provided to us along the way.