Crucial Leadership Conversations

Based on the belief that efffective communication is a keystone competency,
successful completion of a two-day
Crucial Conversations training is an
important component of the
Leadership Initiative program.
Throughout this training, each of the skill areas are learned and practiced.

Crucial Conversations is a proven cure for communication problems.
How we speak up & "listen" during crucial conversations makes all the difference.

Business can suffer when 3 key forces show up:  strong emotions, differing opinions, or high stakes.  Learn to share information safely, get ideas and feeling out in the open, and maintain high levels of respect--all without causing resistance or resentment. 

"Chronic communication errors are at the root of so many problems in daily life.
  Crucial Conversations ...has provided breakthroughs for people for whom
all other efforts have failed.”   Michael Miller, Director, AT&T 

Just about every day, you have a high-leverage interaction with someone that will have a long-term impact on your success. Whether you’re having a sensitive interaction with a team member, or working through a tough issue with a customer, if you don’t succeed in these "crucial conversations", you won’t get the results you need to become the “best of the best.”

When was the last time you were faced with a Crucial Conversation such as these:

• A colleague has just missed a critical deadline. What do you say?
• Your boss has a leadership style that is smothering you. You hesitate to speak up.
• Your team has been getting bad results and no one wants to speak up and no one wants to find out why.
• Important issues are not brought up in a timely manner to those who can do something about them. Only those near the water cooler hear the issues.
• One of your best employees has accused another of racism. He continually labels others who are not “the same” as him.
• You find yourself disagreeing with your boss and yet your head bobs up and down like you are a fully supportive puppet. The last person who disagreed was “shot on sight.”
• One of your employees loses her temper and yells at customers about twice a week. When you brought it up with her, she blamed others.
• Top performers are leaving, and poor performers are not challenged. Top Performers are disgusted that others get away with as much as they do.

 Here is what you will learn:

1. Identify the conversations that are keeping you from your desired results
2. Identify and improve your own communication weaknesses
3. Speak persuasively not abrasively, no matter the topic
4. Make it safe for others to share their honest opinions
5. Deal with people who either clam up or blow up
6. Gain control of your own emotional responses
7. Speak frankly without risking everything
8. Disagree without being disagreeable
9. Influence without exerting force