When former Bristol-Myers Squibb executive Andrew Bodnar pled guilty to the white-collar crime of providing false information to pharmaceutical regulators, Judge Ricardo M. Urbina sentenced him to writing sentences. Bodnar’s punishment was a $5,000 fine, 2-years of probation and the mandatory writing of a 75,000-word book. The point, as this Wall Street Journal article explains, was for Bodnar to demonstrate that he learned from his mistakes – and to provide a cautionary tale for other corporate executives. This is a good reminder that readers – and the media – like to learn from other people’s challenges and mistakes. Are there parts of your personal struggles that you can share to help people identify with your story?

~ Bill Harrison