1. What inspired you to write this book? I wrote the first edition of this book in 2009, and the key inspiration for writing this new edition is based on the widespread improvements to the performance appraisal process over the past 15+ years. The days of the stand-alone and dreaded annual performance appraisals are going the way of the dinosaur and are being replaced by new processes and practices that meet the needs of today’s employers and employees.
2. What exactly is it about — and who is it written for? Large numbers of employees at all job levels are experiencing dissatisfaction, distress, and resistance regarding performance appraisals—and this is not surprising. The problem is that in a vast array of organizations, it is not uncommon to find appraisal systems that are outdated, out of touch, and out of step with the needs and objectives of today’s employers and employees. This book provides readers with the latest hands-on tools, steps, and strategies to make performance appraisals more productive in every respect.
One major development is that the days of the stand-alone annual performance appraisals are drawing to a close. With myriad issues associated with delayed feedback, inaccuracies, halo and horn effects, recency bias, and skewed ratings, these reviews are now being replaced by quarterly or biannual reviews in many organizations—but that’s not all. As this book discusses, one of the most compelling changes is the use of “continuous feedback.” Through prescheduled weekly or biweekly meetings between managers and each individual on their team, these meetings are a source of timely and accurate feedback as well as “feedforward.” Premised on two-way communication, the sessions are coaching-oriented and focus on specific aspects of performance improvement along with upskilling, joint problem-solving, recognition, new initiatives, work-life balance, and goal attainment, plus any issues or questions that the employees would like to raise. When it’s then time for the biannual or quarterly appraisals, continuous feedback has eliminated the widespread dissatisfaction and dysfunction typically experienced by employees and managers through stand-alone annual appraisals. With continuous feedback in place, the door opens for truly constructive performance-related discussions.
With this framework in mind, the book shows readers how to handle all aspects of the appraisal process which include planning and navigating through each step, identifying and capitalizing on the wide-ranging benefits generated by these appraisals, avoiding the common problems and errors, handling the logistics, leading highly productive discussions, jointly establishing performance and development goals, and building leadership and coaching skills. To further facilitate and enhance the appraisal process, the book also contains over 3,300 phrases that focus on the central areas of job performance and provide suggested language to help make feedback and feedforward even more impactful.
This book is written for individuals in leadership positions who want to build the success, performance, growth, and development of the individuals on their team. The book is also a useful source and resource for members of the Human Resources team, while also providing supervisors, managers, and executives with the newest and most effective ways to make the appraisal process a significant additional source of improved performance, collaboration, motivation, engagement, and career development.
3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book? The real hope that the readers of this book
will understand how today’s performance appraisals can truly enhance the
employee performance, growth, and development, while also enhancing managerial
effectiveness as leaders and coaches.
4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design? As part of the For Dummies series published by John Wiley & Sons, the title and widely recognized cover design were predetermined by the Wiley publishing team.
5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!? Writing is an ongoing process, whether you are at a keyboard or not. Your book-in-process is always with you, incubating in the recesses of your mind. With this in mind, one piece of advice is to be ready for the next great idea to arrive. You may be running errands, drifting off to sleep, or awakened in the middle of the night. So, have your phone nearby to send yourself a note, or even go as basic as having a pen and pencil nearby so that you can jot down your latest inspiration instantly. It’s easy to think that you’ll remember that new insight later, but it can easily drift away.
6. What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading? At this point, the major trend in the book
world appears to be the role and influence of AI. Writers will be increasingly
relying on it, especially in terms of such areas as editing, opening up new and
related topics, generating supportive research, and providing other literary
support as needed. From the publishing standpoint, one key development is
likely to be the increased role of publishers and authors using their websites
and platforms to sell books directly to consumers.
7. Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book? Some of the experiences that came in handy when I was writing this book include research skills developed and utilized in pursuit of my Ph.D. at UCLA, working as a management consultant in organizational development for 20+ years, teaching MBA classes at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, and serving as VP of Employee Planning & Development at one of the largest manufacturers of medical apparel in the U.S.
8. How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to? My writing style is readable, fast-paced,
based on research and experience, and replete with hands-on tools, tips, and
strategies. My most recent book, Performance Appraisals & Phrases
for Dummies, is similar in structure and style to many other For
Dummies books in providing information in a highly practical, usable,
and reader-friendly style.
9. What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book? The main challenge associated with writing
this book to the keep the book within the length parameters preferred by the
publisher, while at the same time fully covering the changes, upgrades, and
updates in the performance appraisal process.
10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours? For readers who are in supervisory, managerial, or executive positions, as well as for readers who aspire to reach such positions, this is an excellent book to start reading today. Rather than suffering through the archaic stand-alone performance appraisals that do little more than generate dissatisfaction and distress for those providing and receiving such feedback, this book provides all of the key strategies and easy-to-apply steps to make this process more effective—especially when it comes to improving employee performance, building managerial coaching skills, enhancing collaboration and cooperation, and contributing to employee growth and career development through accurate and timely feedback and feedforward.
About The Author: Ken Lloyd, Ph.D., is a nationally recognized
management consultant, author, and speaker who specializes in organizational
development, human resources, and employee coaching. He has consulted across
the U.S. and Canada in a vast array of industries including healthcare,
apparel, financial services, electronics, high-tech, and entertainment. His
weekly workplace advice column ran for more than 20 years in numerous
newspapers and in their online editions, and for ten of those years, his column
was syndicated by the New York Times Syndicate. Over the
years, Dr. Lloyd taught numerous management classes in the MBA program at UCLA
Anderson School of Management. He has lectured at several universities, and he
has been a guest speaker at company meetings, conferences, and business
gatherings. He also served as Vice President of Employee Planning and
Development for more than 18 years at a major manufacturer and distributor of
medical apparel and footwear. Ken has authored/co-authored eleven business
books, and he has made several
television and talk-radio appearances that include Good Morning America,
CNN, Morning Edition on NPR, KABC, KTLA, and Fox Morning News,
along with numerous podcast appearances on GlobalBusinessNews. He received
his B.A. from UC Berkeley and his Ph.D. in Industrial Relations and
Organizational Behavior from UCLA, and he is a member of the American
Psychological Association, the Society for Industrial and Organizational
Psychology, and the Society for Human Resources Management.
Please see: www.jerksatwork.com
Do You Need Book
Marketing Help?
Brian
Feinblum can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com He is available to help authors like you to promote
your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of
experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him
be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!
About Brian Feinblum
This award-winning blog has generated over
5,400,000 page views. With 5,500+ posts over the past 14 years, it was named
one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2021
and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” Copyright 2026.
For
the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He
formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the
head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the
director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many
first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with
best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen,
Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard,
Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C.
Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.
His
writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s
The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs
He
hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and
has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah
Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association,
Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and
Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the
2024 IBPA Book Awards.
His
letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal,
USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester)
and The Washington Post. His first published book was The
Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook. It
was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.
Born
and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids,
and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.
You
can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.