AN AUTHOR REVISITING INSPIRATIONAL STORIES ABOUT GREAT LEADERS

Author Interview: Ashraf Haggag

Ashraf Haggag is a senior executive with nearly three decades of experience in close proximity to the corporate market. Having worked in Germany, the United States, Turkey, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, his global experiences have helped him on his journey to become a non-fiction author and he is eager to bring enhanced cross-cultural awareness to today’s business leaders. He has come out with the book “Legends over Generations”. In a candid chat with Chirdeep Malhotra, he talks about his latest book, the readers’ response to it, his favourite books and much more.


Please tell us more about Ashraf Haggag as a person.
I have spent nearly three decades in the corporate business world and I am currently working as a senior executive in the hospitality industry managing a group of hotels. I have direct experience in many different aspects of business, including sales, marketing, revenue management, and administration. Having worked in Germany, the United States, Turkey, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, my global experiences have encouraged me to formulate my thoughts into written documents in business, management, and history that I see may be beneficial to the younger generation. I am eager to bring enhanced cross-cultural awareness to today’s business leaders.

Having worked in the corporate business world for nearly three decades, you have forayed into writing books. Can you tell us more about your writing journey?
Once I realized that I can express myself more through writing, especially in my original job, I felt it would be beneficial to draft my thoughts into longer and complete subjects. Although I am an avid reader of fiction, I much prefer to prepare books of the non-fiction genre. My first two books were influenced by my academic and operational background, whilst my third title was based on my admiration of the top leaders who have influenced the world we live in.

Can you give a brief overview of your book “Legends over Generations”?
Some of the pioneers covered in “Legends over Generations” are Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Che Guevara, Mao Tse-tung, Winston Churchill, Ava Gardner, Charles Dickens and Marlon Brando – to mention just a few. They are among the most influential people in today’s world. With practical advantages in various aspects, they have helped us to grow a better understanding of the world and different working phenomenon’s that governs us. Their way of shaping modern day culture is completely unrivalled. In these Legends, we’ve seen inexplicable abilities that helped us define our existence and human life. Their names are engraved in the sands of time for their work in the welfare of mankind with different inventions that have made our lives more easy, enjoyable and productive. This book commemorates the greatest personalities we’ve ever seen who changed the world.

How has been the response of readers to your latest book?
This time around I have used the international social media platform to a much greater extent. By finding the correct network in the right places, I have found that I have been able to tap into an audience that I previously had no access to. This was achieved with the right collaborations and using the right marketing tools to reach my potential readers. For the book in question, I actually used two different publishers in two different locations (India and Germany). I found that by using this method, I was able to spread the book over the various continents in a much more efficient manner and by using the networks and roots of the existing publishing companies. This became more evident when my title “Legends over Generations” was awarded book of the Month in the UK (tradition.co.uk – April 2018).

What kind of research went into writing this book?
When pondering on the various aspects of life it is evident that many fields have been shaped and molded by the great pioneers who had a keen interest to discover something new about the world we live in. These achievements helped the new generation to enjoy and experience their legacy. In this book, I wanted to highlight these achievements and inspire the coming generation. Once the idea had been selected and identified I gathered a few reliable resources that could facilitate me with my research and assist me to draw a complete and accurate image of the subject I needed to tackle. This included archives, watching case studies, reading autobiographies and so on.

Your author website mentions that having widely travelled during the course of your work; you want to bring enhanced cross-cultural awareness to today's business leaders from your global experiences. Can you tell us more about this endeavour of yours?
For the past thirty years my job entitled me to travel across different parts of the world from the northern cold part of the globe down to the hot tropical weather in Africa, and from the fast paced life in America to the ancient traditions of Asia. Living and being exposed to the diversity of culture has encouraged me to share the experience through writing which lead up to the thought of highlighting on the historical legends and leaders from different parts of the globe with their stories and struggles.

Your books have been translated in many languages. Can you tell us more about the books that have been translated and in what languages?
My books have been translated into Hindi, Russian, German, Spanish and Chinese. Whilst my first book was only published in English, I decided to translate my second book “Echos of Culture in the Corporate Environment” into Chinese and Spanish. I felt that there was a gap in the market and the demand was strong enough to take this step. I then went on to translate my third book “Legends over Generations” into Hindi, Russian and German.

In your opinion, what are the benefits of literary translations of both fiction and non-fiction books, apart from the global outreach that it entails for such literature?
Well there are many advantages but I will mention a few that really stick out for me- To gain a competitive edge, Improves your search result ranking (especially for e-books), Boosts readers’ confidence in your books, Increased revenue, and English is not always the preferred language.

What are your favourite books? Can you share with our esteemed readers about the genres that you like and your favourite authors?
These include Blue Ocean Strategy (W. Chan Kim), Built to Last (Jim Collins), The Automobile Club of Egypt (Alaa Al Aswany), The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Steven Covey) and Laws of Leadership (John C Maxwell).

What are your other interests apart from writing?
Fitness and healthy living! I am very strict when it comes to working out and I make an effort to do sports/training at least 4 times a week which really helps me to clear my mind and feel fresh for the day.

Are there any new literary projects that you’re currently working on?
Yes I am currently writing my fourth book “20 Diamond Rules for Ultimate Well-Being”. In this book, you will dive through and discover the most precious tools and facts that will support you facing the daily challenges that life brings, not only this but it will help you in maintaining a balanced, happy and productive lifestyle.

There are many new writers there who are aspiring to get their work published. What would you say to them?
If writing a non-fiction book, do focus on one or two fields and develop them via intensive research. This will enable you to identify new ideas and new topics that you can write about. Apart from actually writing the book you must realise that this is only a fraction of what goes into publishing a book. The first step is without doubt providing a script with good quality content and the remaining journey of your book will involve heavy marketing and PR.

Can you share with our readers a motivational quote that keeps you going?
It is “If you’re going through hell, keep going” by Winston Churchill.