Fierce Conversations: Unlocking Your Potential for Success in the Workplace and Beyond

Maz: It took me a little to get into this book and then all of a sudden I couldn't put it down! So good!

United States on Nov 27, 2023

Marco M.: Great book at a great price with a quick delivery

Canada on May 27, 2023

Mr. D Turner: This is a brilliant book -a real bible for life. Need to be read every year or two to make it sink in, but its really useful for life.

United Kingdom on Nov 29, 2022

RickC: A must read for anyone who has walked away from a conversation reflecting on how poorly they managed it. This has loads of great advice and tools to succeed one conversation at a time.

United Kingdom on Mar 20, 2022

Anne Hodgson: ... especially for those who prefer to be indirect and stay positive and hopeful that people will "come round" to more productive behavior. The combination of true commitment and tough talk is key. Could be a book by someone in Germany preaching to someone from the UK, or someone on the East Coast trying to turn someone on the West Coast around. The issue I have with this approach is that you are trying to change the other person, and the way I see it, that only works if you have power over them. It is clearly a departure from nonviolent behavior.

Germany on Sep 09, 2019

Caroline Flanagan, Author of Be The First: This book contains a powerful message: the conversation is the relationship. In other words, it’s how we show up to every conversation - whether with family, colleagues, friends or employees - that determines the quality not just of our relationships but of our lives. This is powerful stuff. It’s about the importance of really seeing others, of having the courage to go beneath the surface and explore what’s really there. Scary, yes. But, Scott tells us, the risk if you stay on the surface is scarier still; whereas the results if you’re prepared to look further, go deeper are rewarding, uplifting, enriching for all involved. Great practical tools and powerful principles are supported by case studies, quotes and stories from the author’s own experience. Applying the principles outlined here could change your life. If you have the courage to let it.

United Kingdom on Dec 10, 2018

Cris: How often do you walk away from a conversation having talked around an issue, but not about it? How often do you not fully share your thoughts? How often is this conversation with yourself?

These questions form the heart of Susan Scott’s book, where she challenges us to step into Fierce Conversations with others and ourselves. At its core, Scott challenges us to interrogate reality and talk about the things that are most important, assuming (rightly, I believe) that we often avoid doing this to our own and others detriment. She outlines four key components that form the structure of this book. Interrogate reality. Provoke learning. Tackle tough issues. Enrich Relationships.

Take one (of many) insights as an example of what you might appreciate about this book: Ground Truth. As Scott references, Ground truth is an old military term, referring to what is really going on on the ground as opposed to what officials are talking about back in the strategy room. As one might imagine, these are often different, sometimes vastly different! Think of this as the talk after the meeting around the water cooler, the things that are rarely brought up during the actual meeting....

United States on Mar 12, 2018

John Chancellor: If your relationships at home or work could use improvement, then this is a must read book. The title is probably a little misleading and perhaps intimidating. After all, most people I know do not like confrontation. And the title sounds like you will be having toe to toe, screaming matches. But a fierce conversation is not about who can shout the loudest.

The book is based on the fundamental truth that most of the time we have polite conversations rather than real ones. We talk about things that are safe rather than the things that really need to be talked about.

Susan Scott has written a wonderful book that address the importance of having real conversations and then tells you how to make sure you can pull them off.

For starters, she says the purpose of a fierce conversation is to
interrogate reality, provoke learning, tackle tough challenges and enrich relationships." The last point is so important. Lots of people have tough conversations but often these cause the relationship to deteriorate.

If you follow the steps, you will not only talk through the tough issues, you will build better relationships. This is true for work relationships as well as...

United States on Nov 02, 2009