I first met Lisa Haneberg probably about eight years ago and since then I have read a number of books from her. I have also read probably hundreds of blog posts. So, I was excited to see a collection of her blog posts compiled into a book. The book is called “Never-Ending New Beginnings” and it is awesome. I had an opportunity to talk to Lisa about the book, blogging and beyond. Here is the quick interview

RS: Tell us a bit about the book. Why the title?

LH: Never-Ending New Beginnings is a collection of my very best blog posts from Management Craft. Because it contains only the best 69 posts, I think people will like it a lot. The title came after I assembled the collection because I noticed that the underlying theme of most of the posts was personal reinvention.

RS: Lisa – What is your goal with this book? What difference do you hope it will make?

LH: Breakthroughs happen when something shifts in our thinking and we take the opportunity to act differently. So I hope that these posts serve as catalysts and that readers find the seed of a germ of an idea that will help nudge them forward. The selection criteria I used included that the post had to have the potential to be wildly catalytic. I passed on many very good posts that did not meet this specific criteria. The result, I hope, is a very buzzy book.

RS: What has blogging done for you?

LH: I have been blogging for eight years and I feel that it has kept me on the learning path. Blogging keeps me fresh and engaged. I am sure I have learned more from my blog than it has taught others. I recommend blogging to anyone who loves to learn and explore.

RS: What do you think is the key to great management?

LH: The essence of management – or its prime goal – is to help people do their best work in the service of the organization’s goals. So the key is to spend time in ways that help people do their best work. If you ask people what their manager could do that would best help them do their best work, they will tell you things like: provide a challenge, involve them, empower them, remove barriers, be a partner, and let me do work that matters.

You write a lot about generating breakthroughs. What advice would you give to someone who feels stuck?

Several years ago I wrote a book called Two Weeks to a Breakthrough. In it, I offered something that I call the daily practice. It is a simple way to get into focused action. When people are stuck it is usually because they are either not focused, not in action, or both. The daily practice goes like this and it works – I promise: every day tell two people about your goal, make two requests that move your goal forward, and take two actions that serve your goal. These requests and actions can be small or gigantic. Start small if you like. Breakthroughs happen when you are focused and in action – a little every day.

Raj, you are a great example of this – you make so many new things happen and I think it is because you are focused, you know how to make win-win requests and you stay in action. Bravo to you!

RS: Thanks for the kind words, Lisa and also THANKS for generously sharing your insights.