This is part 2 of an inverview with Kenneth Fields on the content and journey of writing his recently published book Visionaries, Builders & Maintainers. Part 1 focussed on gaining an understanding of each of the three people types and their role in making change happen. Part 2 develops this further and probes Kenneth for his purpose and future plans.

> Is there one of these personality types that is “undervalued” or “under-represented” in our society/culture?

I’m not sure about under-represented but Maintainers are definitely undervalued.  A majority of people are Maintainers and they are responsible for ‘making the world go ’round’ but Visionaries get most of the publicity.  If everyone was a Visionary or Builder, the world would fall to pieces!

> Which one are you?…Any idea on me?

I’m definitely a Builder.  I enjoy clarifying the vision, seeing it become reality, and turning it over to someone else to maintain!  You and I have collaborated for several years now and I believe you are clearly a Visionary.  You excel at ideas and ‘big picture thinking’.  Our different roles is one of the reasons I’ve enjoyed our work together. (more…)

I had the privilege of interviewing my friend Kenneth Fields regarding the content and journey of writing his recently published book Visionaries, Builders & Maintainers. If you’re a leader working with others to make change happen, this is for you. The interview will be published in 2 parts. This is part 1. (Remember, if you subscribe to my blog by email, you’ll be entered into a drawing to win a copy of this book.)

> So tell me about the background of this book. Why did you decide to write it?

I observed that people were more or less successful in implementing changes and I went looking for the reasons why.  Once I came up with my hypothesis that people tended toward one of three change management personalities, I spent a few years testing it before publishing this book.  The main premise is based on an idea I’ve been refining since 2003!

> We’ve talked about the challenges along the way…What were the main ones for you?

I made several false starts trying to find the right way to communicate my ideas.  Once I settled on a parable to explain the concept, I had to find the time to write the book.  I have a ‘day job’ so my writing time was focused from 5 to 6 am 3 mornings per week.  Finally, I had no experience in the publishing world so working through that industry was an interesting challenge. (more…)