"The Book" Interviews Near Completion

By the end of this month, the interviewing of H/R Managers, Top, and Middle Management will be completed. The journey has been an incredible one; from New York to Illinois; from Michigan to California, people have been most cooperative and helpful.

What have I learned? Well, for starters, it's not nearly just about the Performance Review (PR). It's about having a passion for what one does and how it is pursued. It involves not only competency, but caring. It means building mutual trust, not simply going through the motions. And certainly it encompasses the creation of success and sharing it.

Some time ago (see my blog, July 28, 2010 "To Write a Book, Part 2"), I discovered that writing a book involves letting it carry you along. It's much more effective than imposing your will on it. And so it has been with the interviews.

I began with a list of questions (see my blog, Nov 27, 2010 "Interviewing for "The Book"), This helped me immeasurably with thought organization and putting those interviewed more at ease. What I discovered however, was that each person had their own approach to things and responded best to forging their own order and emphasis. It would flow much more smoothly and I would get more content of a higher quality.

Ichak Adizes in a Christmas blog, "Where is God" recently made reference to the importance of what he calls MT&R, Mutual Trust & Respect. Not only was this important in the process of interviewing, it has emerged as an integral part of "The Book". These, along with a hand full of other values will shape it as I prepare to begin writing after the first of the year.