Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Lucky Number 13

13 days left and I'm taking a break. After embarking on a writing binge over the last few days, the only thing I intend to write tonight (besides this blog) is a recommendation for a friend of mine who is applying for a job in the school district where I work.

Oddly enough, I'm finding it more difficult to tackle that recommendation than any of the other writing projects I've recently undertaken. It has to be the right balance of commendation and substance in order to be believeable, and even then, I have to wonder if the person who'll be reading it as part of a decision-making process really cares what I think. Do I actually have the power to make or break a candidate? I certainly hope not.

Still, writing this recommendation is something I will take seriously because of what's at stake for both my friend and me. I'm putting my credibility on the line as well as his, endorsing someone who has a mind of his own (rightfully so) and whose actions I cannot control (again, rightfully so!)

This simple piece of paper sparked a conversation at dinner tonight about integrity, and choosing wisely those we opt to back because in the end, if we've endorsed someone, his or her behavior can reveal our own skills as a judge of someone's character.

I doubt my friend will give me any cause to regret my decision to recommend him, and I know this one piece of paper is a mere grain of sand in the application and interview process. Perhaps looking at it that way will make the task less daunting, and enable me to stop procrastinating! And, in order to focus on that task, I need to stop this one.... :o)

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