Ask the Author: Irial O'Farrell
Answered Questions (6)
Irial O'Farrell
My upcoming book is SMART Objective Setting for Managers. The idea really came from the work I do with managers and how they struggle with designing objectives. I suppose the immediate idea was prompted by a workshop I did with the leadership team of a large insurance company. They really struggled with articulating the purpose of an objective or what outcome they were really trying to achieve. I just thought "enough already, I just need to write this book!". Interestingly, very few books have been written on this subject, specifically for managers. There are books about the performance management process and books on setting your own goals but very little for managers at the coalface. No wonder they struggle!
Irial O'Farrell
There's a definite " the mood takes me" and I'm off. I wrote my first book in 2011 and it's been a bit of a roller-coaster since then. It's 9 years later and I'm finally ready to write my next book (although I did some creative writing classes in the meantime).
For the moment, the topics are business related but one of these days, I'll write a novel. So, for the foreseeable future, my inspiration will be coming from my consulting work.
For the moment, the topics are business related but one of these days, I'll write a novel. So, for the foreseeable future, my inspiration will be coming from my consulting work.
Irial O'Farrell
I'm currently working on a book for managers, called SMART Objective Setting for Managers. I've worked with over 1,000 managers and designed and rolled out nearly 10 performance management processes. Many of the same issues and concerns arise for managers in all sorts of organisations and industries. They struggle with making sense of the process and how the skills. I wrote this book to share my experience and insights into designing objectives that actually deliver real performance outcomes - for the individual, the manager, the team, the company and the customers.
Irial O'Farrell
Keep going. Put aside an hour or two hours a day and keep writing until you're finished.
Irial O'Farrell
I love writing and, if I don't write for a while, I get a bit antsy. I also love that point when you think "yes, everything that's supposed to be in this book is here".
Irial O'Farrell
So far, I haven't suffered from the dreaded "writer's block" but I think that's mainly because I write non-fiction, based on the work I do with clients. So, a lot of the time, it's getting all my thoughts down on the paper and then trying to figure out how best to get the message across.
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