Author Interview: Cornelia Gamlem, Author of They Did What? Unbelievable Tales from the Workplace

They Did What? depicts the amazingly difficult challenges and complex issues human resource and business leaders encounter, often daily. And the situations we describe in these unbelievable tales occur more frequently than many readers might suspect. This book is a glimpse into what happens in organizations—often behind the scenes—and how managers and HR leaders deal with the grey areas of work. This is stuff we couldn’t make up.

What inspired you to write your book?

As an HR Executive who spent much of her time focused on solving employee issues, I was once asked, “How do you learn employee relations?” My response was through practice and experience. This became the dawn of the idea behind the book. Why not share experiences, mine, my coauthor’s and those of our colleagues to teach these lessons. We also wanted something entertaining that would engage the readers, so we told the lessons as stories set against the backdrop of a fictitious company, while using realistic settings. The characters portrayed are composites of a large number of professionals across a wide variety of industries and throughout multiple careers. It is through all these characters that the stories we tell unfold.

If you have a business related to your book, tell us about it:

Both my coauthor and I have our own separate management consulting practices where we focus on helping clients solve a range of people-related issues. In recent years, however, I’ve spent more time writing. Barbara Mitchell and I began writing together in 2011 and most of our books, starting with The Big Book of HR, were traditionally published and written at the publisher’s request. In early 2022, the 10-year anniversary edition of that book was published; we wrote most of it during the pandemic. Building on The Manager’s Answer Book, which was published in 2018, we wrote The Decisive Manager, published in 2023. When we aren’t working on client issues, we keep our clients and readers informed and up-to-date on the issues in our books by writing a weekly blog, Making People Matter. We are also frequent contributors to a number of leadership and business online platforms.

What is a typical day like for you?

Is there really such a thing as a typical day in the life of a writer? I just read a funny piece about that—a submission in a writing contest I was judging.

One of the things I’m involved with is a writing group in Albuquerque, NM—SouthWest Writers. I serve on its board and there are always issues—good issues—to address there. It’s where my management consulting and analytical skills come in handy for the organization.

If I’m not sitting down and writing something, there’s always research to do—something new to learn about. And let’s not forget marketing. Books don’t sell themselves!

What do you most enjoy about what you do?

I’m really lucky at this phase of my life that I can focus on writing and dabble in different areas of writing. I recently wrote a travel piece for the contest I mentioned above. When I was a child, I always had this desire to write. Now I can. I get to be creative with marketing but also with some of the more mundane things I have to write. For example, I recently finished an investigation report for a client and I kept reviewing it with an eye toward making it more engaging to keep the readers interest, despite the rather boring nature of the subject matter.

I like solving problems. That’s probably why I enjoy reading mysteries. I may have to challenge myself to write one someday.

What are some favorite books you’d recommend to our readers?

I always read a combination of fiction and nonfiction. One of my favorite fiction authors is David Baldacci. I think I’ve read everything he’s written.

Some of the nonfiction books I’ve read in the last 18 months include: How to Know a Person by David Brooks, Dinners with Ruth by Nina Totenberg, and High Conflict by Amanda Ripley.

What advice do you have to offer our readers?

I said earlier, books don’t sell themselves. Market, market, market – and have fun with it. Don’t be afraid of social media. Find podcasts and interview opportunities, like this one, to keep getting the word out about your book and your expertise. Start a blog, write guest blogs for others, and write for other platforms in your area of expertise. Look for speaking opportunities that align with you and your books’ expertise. Many fiction authors that I’ve met tend to be on the introverted side. On the contrary, nonfiction authors have expertise to share—so share it. Sow the seeds. You never know what will sprout and when.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

Probably that I was considered shy as a child. That’s likely because I hadn’t learned that it was okay to find your voice and use it. That’s why being a nonfiction writer is so appealing—I get to share my knowledge with others in a nonthreatening way.

What’s next for you?

Barbara and I are working on some e-books that will complement our existing books. They’ll be short—around 10,000 words. In addition to updating information in our existing books, we want to use them to market those books. It will be interesting to see what the outcome will be. However, it’s an opportunity to try something new. As someone advised me when I first started consulting: try new things, and, if they don’t work, stop and move on to the next one.

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