Authentic Conversations: Moving from Manipulation to Truth and Commitment
In this groundbreaking new book, the Showkeirs take something people typically think of as merely functional—ordinary conversations—and show the power they have to create, sustain, and change the very nature of workplace culture. Conversations can lead to an engaged and energized workforce, or to one that is alienated and uninspired. If you want to change the culture you must change the conversations. All too often workplace conversations—between managers and direct reports, peer-to-peer, or with external stakeholders— create parent-child relationships. People hide facts, sugarcoat reality and claim helplessness to try to control interactions and get what they want. The Showkeirs expose the destructiveness of these manipulative conversations, and demonstrate how we can move to honest and authentic interactions that create adult relationships. By intentionally and thoughtfully changing conversations, organizations will engender increased commitment, true accountability, and improved workplace performance. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience as organizational consultants, their book offers examples of parent-child and adult-adult workplace conversations in a variety of settings, circumstances and industries. They also provide a hands-on guide, including sample scripts, for dealing with a host of potentially difficult conversations. Authentic Conversations goes to the heart of why so many people today are disengaged, uninspired, and uncommitted to their organization’s success. It challenges the conventional wisdom about managing people and sets out specific, concrete ways to consciously make conversations the primary driver for change.
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Authentic Conversations: Moving from Manipulation to Truth and Commitment
In this groundbreaking new book, the Showkeirs take something people typically think of as merely functional—ordinary conversations—and show the power they have to create, sustain, and change the very nature of workplace culture. Conversations can lead to an engaged and energized workforce, or to one that is alienated and uninspired. If you want to change the culture you must change the conversations. All too often workplace conversations—between managers and direct reports, peer-to-peer, or with external stakeholders— create parent-child relationships. People hide facts, sugarcoat reality and claim helplessness to try to control interactions and get what they want. The Showkeirs expose the destructiveness of these manipulative conversations, and demonstrate how we can move to honest and authentic interactions that create adult relationships. By intentionally and thoughtfully changing conversations, organizations will engender increased commitment, true accountability, and improved workplace performance. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience as organizational consultants, their book offers examples of parent-child and adult-adult workplace conversations in a variety of settings, circumstances and industries. They also provide a hands-on guide, including sample scripts, for dealing with a host of potentially difficult conversations. Authentic Conversations goes to the heart of why so many people today are disengaged, uninspired, and uncommitted to their organization’s success. It challenges the conventional wisdom about managing people and sets out specific, concrete ways to consciously make conversations the primary driver for change.
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Authentic Conversations: Moving from Manipulation to Truth and Commitment

Authentic Conversations: Moving from Manipulation to Truth and Commitment

Authentic Conversations: Moving from Manipulation to Truth and Commitment

Authentic Conversations: Moving from Manipulation to Truth and Commitment

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Overview

In this groundbreaking new book, the Showkeirs take something people typically think of as merely functional—ordinary conversations—and show the power they have to create, sustain, and change the very nature of workplace culture. Conversations can lead to an engaged and energized workforce, or to one that is alienated and uninspired. If you want to change the culture you must change the conversations. All too often workplace conversations—between managers and direct reports, peer-to-peer, or with external stakeholders— create parent-child relationships. People hide facts, sugarcoat reality and claim helplessness to try to control interactions and get what they want. The Showkeirs expose the destructiveness of these manipulative conversations, and demonstrate how we can move to honest and authentic interactions that create adult relationships. By intentionally and thoughtfully changing conversations, organizations will engender increased commitment, true accountability, and improved workplace performance. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience as organizational consultants, their book offers examples of parent-child and adult-adult workplace conversations in a variety of settings, circumstances and industries. They also provide a hands-on guide, including sample scripts, for dealing with a host of potentially difficult conversations. Authentic Conversations goes to the heart of why so many people today are disengaged, uninspired, and uncommitted to their organization’s success. It challenges the conventional wisdom about managing people and sets out specific, concrete ways to consciously make conversations the primary driver for change.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781605096933
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Publication date: 09/01/2008
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 209
File size: 4 MB

About the Author

James and Maren Showkeir are principals of henning-showkeir&associates, inc., whose clients include 3M, Ford Motor Company, Kaiser Permanente, British Airways, Coca-Cola, Hewlett-Packard, Levi Strauss, the Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership, and the Nature Conservancy.

Table of Contents


Dedication to Joel P. Henning     vii
Foreword   Margaret J. Wheatley     ix
Preface     xiii
Introduction: The Dangerous Book for Adults     1
Revolutionary Conversations for Adults     15
Relationships That Don't Work at Work     25
The Myth of Holding Others Accountable     35
You Can't Make All the Fourth Graders Happy     47
Hostages to Disappointment     57
Change the Conversation, Change the Culture     67
Moving from Manipulation to Engagement     81
Stop Courting the Cynic     97
Cutting the Ties That Bind     111
Declaration of Interdependence     127
Open Season-Remove the Camouflage!     141
Conclusion: Starting the Revolution     155
A Practical Guide to Authentic Conversations     165
Suggestions for Getting Started     165
Facing a Difficult Issue     167
Seeking an Exception     170
Proposing Change     173
Introducing a Mandate     176
Renegotiating an Established Relationship     179
Initiating Endings     182
Dealing with Individual Performance     184
Creating YourOwn Authentic Conversations     189
Acknowledgments     191
Notes     193
Index     195
About the Authors     203
About henning-showkeir & associates, inc.     207
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