I have always loved writing short stories, yet I rarely finished them. Those half-formed tales still loop in my mind year after year; this has been happening since 2003. Somewhere I still have notebooks filled with odd handwritten stories.
I really must find them.
Although many years have passed, some ideas have lingered and evolved. My dreams somehow stitch unrelated fragments onto one stage; the human brain truly is marvellous at that.
The impulse for this book grew out of another manuscript I drafted many times called A Stateful Journey. In it, I played with the idea of leaving a trail of history behind, learning from it, and knowing when to let go the stateless side.
Yet something always felt missing. A few years ago, through my leadership work and after observing hundreds of managers, I realised I was the odd one out.
While others dismissed empathy and pushed a stricter brand of leadership, I kept asking why we tolerate so much pain and power-play for so little reward.
This is very common, because the nature of businesses is making money and sometimes, we need to rush things to put something out there.
Now “empathetic leadership” is fashionable, perhaps scarred into us by the COVID era, but I still see more aggression than compassion in many boardrooms, even if some voices champion a more humane future.
This book is my argument that everyone can lead and that leadership is not a title but an action, a collaborative effort. Titles matter when control matters—our society needs structure—but I fear we are surrendering our agency while waiting for a saviour.
We place our hopes in a chosen few and follow one. Ancient texts echo that pattern: kingship, divine right, authority cloaked in justification to sway the masses. Leader has become almost synonymous with man.
A bit about me, and what you can expect. Like you, I am stepping into somewhat unknown territory, I have the experience of writing books, but any new one feels like it.
Writing publicly is a way to hold myself accountable and invite feedback, because a book may start with one person but many people shape it—helping ideas take a clear, orderly form.
I’m considering doing a few live or recorded sessions where I write parts of the book in real time. It could be a great way to share my thought process and spark some discussion.
Professionally, I’ve been managing people in tech for a long time, and I’ve experienced the good, the bad, and everything in between. I love technology, but I sense that the current wave of hype, the tech-oracle culture, is crushing people. Certain leaders hide themselves behind the excuse of efficiency, afraid to show what they really are.
Money is such a weird argument.
But I don’t believe technology is the real problem.
At the heart of our challenges is us the people making decisions every day. Some good, others bad. It all depends on your moral compass.
I believe the brain is a wonderful “machine” that proves what collective leadership can do. Millions of neurons, supported by other organs, work together to sense and guess the world beyond. We have grown so adept that what we perceive guides us, even if reality itself may lack a single true form.
I will share my plans, my blocks, and my frustrations. Writing a book is solitary work, a mental duel with pride and legacy. I want to leave a message for my children, family, and friends a legacy. Not another best seller.
I try to understand why leadership has been polished into an emblem of feel-good productivity, as if we live in a Disney-fied world where all ends well. People forget that some leaders paid a harsh price to leave us warnings that still resonate across the ages.
Leadership is a collective effort.
Leadership as a verb, this might not be the optimal way of doing “leadership”, but joint effort seems to be the most correct one, with all its pros and cons.
I hope you enjoy this journey and become part of it.
When the book finally takes shape, a piece of it will belong to you, too.
READ NEXT…
Thank you.
Diamantino Almeida
Leadership as a verb. Tech | Writer | People
It's sad that others dismissed your empathy. Empathy is the missing piece I see among so many with technical brilliance. You leverage that, you have a true gift to lead truly.