Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and in Life One Conversation at a Time

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 personal relationships. Scott addresses five different types of conversations. They are: team conversations, coaching conversations, delegation conversations and confrontational conversations. And she gives the model and example for each. Susan gives seven principles to guide a person in their fierce conversations. They are: Master the courage to interrogate reality, Come out from behind yourself and make the conversation real, Be here, prepared to be nowhere else, Tackle your toughest challenge today, Obey your instincts, Take responsibility for your own wake and Let silence do the heavy lifting. I do not know anyone who uses silence as they should. Most people are too eager to tell their story, show how much they know, they forget to let silence into the conversation. The book does a marvelous job of discussing how to truly have fierce conversations. But an underlying theme of the book is that most conversations are with your self. On occasions, other people are involved. If you want to truly master fierce conversations, you must master them with your self first. It is not a book to just read and file away. This is a book you need to keep handy, refer to often. The appendix has some wonderful worksheets and questions and there is a User's Guide at the end. The book is well written, easy to read with lots of helpful examples. If you implement just a portion of the wisdom in this book, it will change your life. The big lesson is to interrogate reality in all your conversations. What are you pretending not to know? What are you afraid to discuss with your boss/ co-worker or spouse? A polite conversation is a failed conversation because you did not talk about the issues that are crying to be addressed. Truly a life changing book. Susan has written a companion book that I also highly recommend - Fierce Leadership - check it out.

This awesome book by Susan Scott is a bestseller. It covers the 7 principles that are of the utmost importance to drive individual and organizational success. If you implement these principals you will have a better understanding of yourself, your business and personal life. Moving from an authentic conversation to a "fierce" conversation will give you the inner strength to make rapid and insightful decisions. Having a "fierce" conversation you are initiating change were needed. The book has practical assignments to do at the end of each chapter to help you put your ideas into action. Maybe your communication skills are excellent, but the person on the other side has a serious lack of this skill. One of the characteristics of leaders is their ability to deal with truth in a loving, gracious way. And, the leader is tasked to initiating those conversations when almost everyone else is fearful. It is a definite read for all leaders who have difficulty in communicating or who tend to shift problems. This book is part of my "Dantotsu" collection (Best of the Best.) Danita Bye Sales Growth Specialists

Susan Scott hit a home run with this book. The title is misleading, in that people may think every conversation has to be fierce! This is an awesome book on how to talk with others! How to lead, how to follow and how to get out of the way. Asking questions to help others discover areas that need change is a time tested great way of helping! Let silence do the heavy lifting is my favorite line in this book. If you are looking to improve your verbal communication skills, this book is for you. If you are a leader and have to deal with others, this book is for you. If you are looking to help others in any area of life, this book is for you. This is a long book and needs to be read slowly and often and with a notebook handy! I equate it to a college class on communication! I am on my second read and figured out that I missed 90% of the material the first time! Great book! Bravo Susan Scott!

The principles flowingly relayed in this excellent practical life changing book can be used in all facets of life. It is for home, work and with mates at leisure. Being real, bringing the best outcomes. The foundational principles can save marriages, bring depth to family relationships, enable organisations to flourish with integrity and joy. May we each put the words into action.

Good book. For me, as a professional executive coach, has helped me. Things to improve: All can be said in much fewer Words

Energy, clear examples, a conversion of David Whyte's 'courageous conversations' converted into the corporate world! I love this book. I believe this is the key to bringing needed change to organisations today. How to put 'the fish on the table' as George Kohlrieser would say.

"Fierce"という言葉をどう訳するかが難しいのだが、ここではIntenseな、真実を貫く会話、とでもいえるだろうか。 私達は日ごろ、本当に大切な事を言葉にしていない。 仕事の中で、家庭で、友達との間で、「おざなり」の会話でその場を流してしまっていることが多くないだろうか。著者は「会話こそが「関係」なのである。 一つ一つの会話を丁寧に行うことで人生を変えることができる」と言っている。 この本の著者はエグゼクティブコーチであるため、クライアントの事例はエグゼクティブがよく出てくるが、流れる理念は職場でも家庭でも適用できるものである。 コーチングを勉強している人、職場を活性化させたいエグゼクティブ、家族との関係を改善したい人、全てにお勧めである。

This is an excellent book that offers comprehensive insights into effective leadership strategies, making it a must-read for aspiring and current leaders seeking to enhance their skills and deepen their understanding of leadership principles.