Powerful Conversations How High Impact Leaders Communicate

"Phil Harkins has it exactly right. To be a leader is to communicate powerfully—as he does in this thoughtful book."- Robert B. Reich, Professor of Social and Economic PolicyBrandeis University. Powerful Conversations breed a powerful organization. POWERFUL CONVERSATIONS is packed with goal-oriented strategies, tools, and real-life examples from great leaders. Use its deliberate, directed techniques to achieve exceptional levels of performance, create and maintain valuable relationships, and forward the goals of both yourself and your organization with every word you speak. Mastering the three stages of a Powerful Conversation—from shared feelings and beliefs, to an exchange of wants and needs, closing with action steps and mutual commitments—will help you exercise more control over your interactions, and greatly enhance both your leadership skills and your success. Look inside to discover: How to plan, conduct, and measure Powerful Conversations; Using the Tower of Power as a tool in coaching; The four Cs of Trust—clarity, caring, consistency, and commitment Five strategies to satisfy—and keep—your best employees Tools to turn the company grapevine from a poisonous plant into a pathway for learning Determining your leadership competencies through the Leadership Assessment Instrument Targeting Passionate Champions to drive an Agenda for Change. Leaders across the country are praising POWERFUL CONVERSATIONS: "Phil Harkins has it exactly right. To be a leader is to communicate powerfully—as he does in this thoughtful book." - Robert B. Reich, Professor of Social and Economic Policy, Brandeis University. "Powerful Conversations have made a real difference in the effectiveness of the Operations Senior Leadership Team. We are delivering unprecedented results thanks to the clearer communication and improved working relationships." - Larry Gundrum, Senior Vice President, Kraft Foods. "In my business, Powerful Conversations are leading to believability and a growing sense of achievability by our employees that they can drive a massive agenda for change." - Linda Coughlin, Managing Director, Scudder Kemper Investments, Inc. "In a fast forward world, candor and clarity are prerequisites for success. POWERFUL CONVERSATIONS is a must read book for leading into the 21st century." - Steve Ozonian, Chairman and CEO, Prudential Real Estate and Relocations Solutions. "A powerful guide, both savvy and wise, to emotional intelligence in action. Phil Harkins has given us an essential handbook for leaders at any level." - Daniel Goleman, Author, Working with Emotional Intelligence.

Conversation techniques and tools that can help strong managers become great leaders Often the very same skills and traits that enable rising stars to achieve success "tenacity, aggressiveness, self-confidence" become liabilities when promoted into a leadership track. While managers' conversations are generally transactional and centered on the task at hand, leaders must focus on people, asking great questions and aligning them with the vision for the future. Leadership mindsets and skills can be developed, and Leadership Conversations provides practical guidance for connecting with others in ways that transform each interaction into an opportunity for organizational and personal growth. Identifies four types of conversation every leader must master: building relationships, making decisions, taking action, and developing others Provides an action plan for boosting your personal leadership potential, as well for developing leadership skills in others Draws on the authors' rich experience coaching and working with leaders at a wide range of organizations, including NASA, the U.S. Navy, intelligence agencies, Boeing, Gillette, Bausch & Lomb, and Georgetown University Leadership Conversations is required reading for both high-potential managers looking to make it to the next level and leaders looking to develop their people.

The only language you need to know to change your results. Inside each of us is a vision of how things could be. Yet most people remain frustrated by a lack of impact, unable to connect and inspire the people they care about the most. Why? There’s a language we understand, but rarely use. A language that’s sincere. Powerful. Compelling. A language of words—and actions—that can’t be denied. Leadership Language will help you to peel back the ineffective “business speak”, so you can change the conversation. And change your results. Imagine what could happen when you replace frustration with an irresistible vision—for yourself, your team and your organization. Today’s leaders face so many challenges—employee retention, operational efficiency, culture, collaboration, leading across generations, and more—but communication is at the heart of every one of those issues. A clear message with a powerful delivery gets you halfway home. Honing in on your next conversation can drive more impact, better relationships, and greater overall effectiveness. For yourself. Your career. Your company. They say there’s nothing that can stop an idea whose time has come. So, take the lead. It’s time for you to create what’s missing. And Leadership Language will show you how. Get clear on your vision, get aligned with your story, and get others engaged with your message Connect with the people that matter most, in a way that invites innovation and new outcomes Find the courage to move forward, conquer change, and create powerful impact—while you help others do the same From student leaders to the C-suite, there is only one way for a leader to make an impact: communication. Leadership Language is your personal guide to mastering critical skills and unveiling your authentic potential.

The New York Times and Washington Post bestseller that changed the way millions communicate “[Crucial Conversations] draws our attention to those defining moments that literally shape our lives, our relationships, and our world. . . . This book deserves to take its place as one of the key thought leadership contributions of our time.” —from the Foreword by Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People “The quality of your life comes out of the quality of your dialogues and conversations. Here’s how to instantly uplift your crucial conversations.” —Mark Victor Hansen, cocreator of the #1 New York Times bestselling series Chicken Soup for the Soul® The first edition of Crucial Conversations exploded onto the scene and revolutionized the way millions of people communicate when stakes are high. This new edition gives you the tools to: Prepare for high-stakes situations Transform anger and hurt feelings into powerful dialogue Make it safe to talk about almost anything Be persuasive, not abrasive

The key to success in life and business is to become a master at Conversational Intelligence. It's not about how smart you are, but how open you are to learn new and effective powerful conversational rituals that prime the brain for trust, partnership, and mutual success. Conversational Intelligence translates the wealth of new insights coming out of neuroscience from across the globe, and brings the science down to earth so people can understand and apply it in their everyday lives. Author Judith Glaser presents a framework for knowing what kind of conversations trigger the lower, more primitive brain; and what activates higher-level intelligences such as trust, integrity, empathy, and good judgment. Conversational Intelligence makes complex scientific material simple to understand and apply through a wealth of easy to use tools, examples, conversational rituals, and practices for all levels of an organization.

Intelligence, ambition, and skill will start you on the road to success, but without strong communications skills, social savvy, and a sense of appropriate behavior . . . you won’t get far. And in today’s culture where rudeness is unfortunately becoming more and more routine, a strong competitive advantage goes to those who have sharpened the forgotten but fundamental skill of courtesy.In The Etiquette Edge, readers will get a crash course in the entire field of modern business manners. From interviewing etiquette and dress codes to working in close quarters and communicating upward, you’ll master the essentials of making a great impression and building relationships, including:• The dos and don’ts of smartphone usage• Handling difficult conversations with tact and finesse• Checking your texts and emails for content and tone . . . before you hit send!• Creating a polished image on social media• Conducting meetings with poise and confidence• And moreYour coworkers and competitors are highly educated, ferociously go-getting, and great at their job . . . just like you. If you want to truly distinguish yourself from the crowd, focus on gaining the etiquette edge!

What if current leadership thinking is incomplete?What if you have constantly done the things all of the leadership ""gurus"" have suggested, and you still don't get the kind of results you seek?What if the real challenge of leaders is not vision, strategy, or execution?But, instead it is the daunting challenge of how to lead in a world of difference.In Cultural Leadership: The New Chemistry of Leading Differently thought leader B. Stewart argues that current leadership models are woefully incomplete in what he describes as this ""new world of difference."" He presents a strong argument that traditional leadership models are predicated on a ""us"" versus ""them"" model of leadership thinking that provides little help when the ""us"" is becoming more and more diverse.