Crunchy Critiques and Communication Growth Pains

Many leaders have shared with me that when they gather feedback from their staffs one topic is familiar... communication. Be more concise, don't leave out detail, be timely, less is more, be more directive, and so on.

I cannot allow the opportunity to grow to pass me by. So I asked my supervisor for any resources she thought would help one improve in communication. I asked a few other folks too- sitting in front of me are several books now:

• Better Conversations by Jim Knight
• Difficult Conversations by Stone, Patton, and Heen
• Crucial Conversations by Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, and Switzler
• Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott
• Radical Candor by Kim Scott
• Primal Leadership by Goleman, Boyatzis and McKee
• The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace by Chapman and White

I have started to read all of them- I enjoy when books begin to dove tail. I kind of chuckle when I see how many titles can contain conversations in them! Maybe we can write a few more... Uncomfortable Conversations, Unforgettable Conversations, or even something different like FANTASTIC CONVERSATIONS.

I have already seen some hope from this research- Primal Leadership shares how Emotional Intelligence can aid the leader in serving his or her staff... I want to get a Ph.D. in EQ now.

So as I begin this quest, wish me luck that these authors will help me grow.