Behind The Scenes: Writing My Book

A year ago on International Women’s Day, I announced that I am writing a book on Design Thinking in Human Resources.

Spoiler alert: I am still writing the book! But I have come to realize that navigating the publishing landscape as a first-time author is like building an entirely new business. I keep reminding myself that it’s as much about the journey as it is about the destination (which is not always easy for a Type A/Driver personality like myself…)

I am also recognizing that I haven’t done a good job keeping YOU, my community, updated on where I am at with the book and what’s next. This post is an attempt to rectify that.

What has happened over the last year?

Learning about writing and publishing a book. The starting point for my author learning journey was Guy Kawasaki’s practical guide “APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur – How to Publish a Book”. I also interviewed other authors to learn from their book process. My eternal gratitude goes to Belinda Gannaway, Céline Schillinger, LaTonya Wilkins, Lena Ross, Melonie Boone, Natal Dank, Sarah Thurber, and Teresa Torres for so graciously sharing their invaluable insights with me! And I joined a couple of communities that have provided helpful resources and tips - one is the Nonfiction Authors Association and the other the Who Wants to Write a Book Clubhouse room hosted by editors Naomi Nakashima and Hy Bender.

The learning nuggets from each of these resources are all still rumbling around in my head, but I am sensing they might get synthesized into a more detailed, future post.

Research, research, research… At this point, I have read about 50 books and as many academic articles – from design thinking to behavioral science. As you can see from the evidence below, Lily might have a read a few herself…

I have started to deepen my critical analysis of the design thinking method by participating in Creative Reaction Lab's "How Design Thinking Protects White Supremacy” webinar and an Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) research study that is testing anti-oppressive design methods. I am also a contributing author for the MARIO (Massive Anti-Racist IO) project, where I provide a perspective on design thinking and agile as part of the organizational change chapter led by Northwestern University Assistant Professor Kimberly Scott.

Drafting an initial book outline. The backbone of every book is its structure. Does it flow? Do the content pieces fit together in a logical manner? What are they key points I want to make in each chapter? What do I want the reader to walk away with? These and more are considerations when drafting an initial book outline. I have drafted a first outline and incorporated initial feedback from my husband Peter Dessain and my fellow Northwestern University instructors, Jeff Merrell and Ryan Smerek. ?

Experimenting with approaches and frameworks. I have had several informal conversations with many of you to learn what you might want to see in a book about Design Thinking for HR. Thank you for that! And I have been testing, refining, and polishing methods and frameworks. A special shout out to all my clients who are courageously leaning into experimenting with design thinking – from re-designing performance management to co-creating a culture of inclusion with their employees. I love being on this learning journey with all of you.

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What’s next?

I want to take a literal page from my book and apply design thinking to the writing process by co-creating the book with YOU!

You can learn more on how to participate by joining the Early Readers’ Community here. We will kick things off in April 2022, so make sure you register soon!

I hope to see many of you joining me in this effort. I truly takes a village.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The Design Thinking for HR newsletter is a biweekly LinkedIn newsletter designed to inspire HR professionals to experiment with the design thinking framework. The newsletter is curated by?Nicole Dessain who is an employee experience consultant, design thinking workshop facilitator, and Northwestern University instructor. Nicole is the host of the?Talent Tales podcast, where she interviews leaders who have pioneered design thinking in Human Resources.