Joseph Grenny is a four-time New York Times bestselling author and leading social scientist for business performance. One of his most popular books is “Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High.” So what’s a crucial conversation? Grenny defines it as a moment when opinions differ, the stakes are high, and emotions are strong. In his 25 years of studying …
Author: John Stevenson
Use power words to get powerful results from your writing
Whether you’re writing ads, articles, or emails, simple word selection can make a big difference in driving results versus being ignored. You’ve got to be sure to use power words in your writing if you want people to notice and do something. Attractive art like photos and illustration can grab attention, but experienced communicators know that …
Destined to succeed, or determined to succeed?
Harvey Mackay’s most famous and memorably titled book is “Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive.” He’s written and published another half dozen books, and his weekly columns have been widely distributed for the last 30 years. Mackay’s day job was selling envelopes. Not a terribly complicated or thrilling business, but he was determined …
Helping 100,000 people is a good start
Dr. Don Berwick is a pediatrician and a true hero of modern healthcare improvement. Author and management expert Tom Peters calls him the “Mother Teresa of health safety.” Berwick is one of the founders of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and is the architect of its groundbreaking 100,000 Lives Campaign. In December 2004, he brazenly …
10 rules for brilliant women
The internationally-acclaimed COO of Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg, may be the best-known champion of women executives in the world, but author and women’s business coach Tara Mohr is making significant contributions to the cause as well. Mohr’s book “Playing Big: Find Your Voice, Your Mission, and Your Message” is about the tools she’s used with thousands …
What makes A-players stand out
Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman focus on “elevating leadership strengths” in their practice at Zenger Folkman. They study and work with leaders at companies around the world. A recent article they authored for the Harvard Business Review highlighted their research on 4,100 executives and their findings from analyzing over 50,000 performance reviews conducted on this …
Question everything
Warren Berger frames up the purpose of his book “A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas” perfectly: We’re all hungry today for better answers. But first, we must learn to ask the right questions. Berger’s book and fascinating website are dedicated entirely to the discipline of forming and asking better …
Telling the kind truth
If you’re involved in client service or consulting you probably think regularly about the most productive ways to deliver the best advice and service. Patrick Lencioni, in his book “Getting Naked” outlines three main fears that can threaten strong and lasting client relationships: fear of losing the business; fear of embarrassment; and fear of feeling inferior. To overcome these fears, …
Flip the script – Dan Pink’s manifesto on doing things differently
Motivation is defined as the general desire or willingness of someone to do something. That’s a pretty simple definition, yet it’s one of the more elusive traits to cultivate in ourselves as well as others. He talks about popular advice that he’s found to be “Not wrong as in a ‘little bit off’ or ‘not quite right.’ …
Serve instead of sell
Servant selling puts service in its proper place – first. Even if selling or business development is not your specialty, Daniel Pink’s “To Sell Is Human” is full of good ideas and inspiration for everyday persuasion problems. Whether your selling software, or trying to sell your kids on better eating habits, selling on its highest …