The single factor that determines success or failure in big business today is conversation. Great leaders use public and private conversation to send a clear message, cultivate a common worldview, set high standards and reachable goals, and uncover concerns that can undermine an organization. So what conversation are you, as a leader, having with your team? Experienced change consultant Rose Fass explains how too often we think we're having the same conversation - about dark chocolate, for instance - only to be referring to three different things: milk, white, or bittersweet varieties. She shows us how to first establish common ground that leads to an effective discourse for addressing relevance, growth, and scaling: the three most important issues she sees in business today. In a light-hearted and humorous way, Fass shows how leaders can avoid a meltdown and instead drive transformation through the way they communicate in a language that all stakeholders can understand.
Sections include:
- Death by Chocolate - The three ingredients to a Chocolate Conversation, and how to avoid having them
- Mergers & Acquisitions - How to establish a third identity
- Addicted to Relevance - Stay relevant using the Four Considerations of Business
- It Starts with You - The Chocolate Conversation exercise
- Why Do Good People Have Bad Conversations? - Help your people get the picture immediately with simple, clear language
- Go There! - Prepare for the hard conversations by providing context to reduce the chances of having a Chocolate Conversation
- Message Discipline - Use message discipline by crafting your message, listening to your people, and driving them to action
- Extending Your Professional Reach - How to use the Spheres, Technical, Social, Political to drive emotional intelligence
- Change is Bittersweet - Identify the change that's needed in your organization
