Difficult Conversations Don't Have to Be Difficult - (Jon Gordon) by Jon Gordon & Amy P Kelly (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Ruth is the CEO of a successful multinational company she built from the ground up. Now, the board is giving her aggressive goals to prepare the company for sale at top dollar. What Ruth cannot figure out is why her team cannot seem to rise to the level of performance required to do this. As Ruth stares at her packed calendar, she wonders how she is going to get her team to perform at the level required for success. What is wrong with them? She does not know where to start and wishes the whole problem would resolve itself. Ruth goes on an unexpected journey of individual and team development with the help of an unlikely mentor. She discovers something magnificent that changes the way she thinks about her team and herself. It is a simple and smart approach that drives unity and results at levels Ruth never imagined. And, it starts with the conversations she was avoiding and some she did not even know she needed to have. Difficult Conversations Don't Have to be Difficult takes a popular and age-old topic and addresses it with a fresh approach and new strategies for individual and team development. Any business, team, or organizational leader needs to be able to have the conversations required for growth. Difficult Conversations Don't Have to be Difficult helps leaders have the challenging conversations in a positive way."--

Book Synopsis

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

Help your team maximize their full potential by mastering tough conversations

In Difficult Conversations Don't Have to be Difficult: A Simple, Smart Way to Make Your Relationships and Team Better, bestselling author Jon Gordon and veteran human resources professional and executive coach Amy P. Kelly deliver an engaging and inspiring new take on how to make tough workplace conversations an asset in building a stronger team and organization.

The book, written as a business fable, follows Ruth, the CEO of a successful multinational company who has been instructed by her board to prepare her company for sale. Along the way, she must lead an underperforming and dysfunctional team to set aside their differences and work together toward a common goal. This includes growing herself while elevating her team's performance. As Ruth discovers the secret to unlocking extraordinary growth and productivity, you'll learn about:

• The critically important conversations you need to have with your team to realize outstanding results
• Structuring, planning, and having the tough conversations your team members really need
• Ensuring your team walks away from difficult conversations more united, motivated, inspired, and positioned for optimal growth and performance

Perfect for managers, executives, directors, and business leaders and their teams, Difficult Conversations Don't Have to be Difficult is also a must-read for coaches, trainers, teachers, consultants, and other professionals doing their best to help others realize their full potential. Teams who read the book together will be equipped with a proven strategy and process to enhance communication performance and unity.

From the Back Cover

Praise for Difficult Conversations Don't Have to be Difficult

"In Difficult Conversations Don't Have to be Difficult, Jon and Amy share a great story of leadership to create a connected and collaborative people working together culture of love by design to create value and growth for the greater good. A key element is a psychologically safe culture where everyone expects the unexpected and expects to deal with it positively. Difficult issues are 'gems' to respect and solve by working together."
--ALAN MULALLY, Former CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes and Ford Motor Company

"Having difficult, messy conversations lies at the heart of teamwork. Jon and Amy have written an immensely readable book to help take the sting out of those conversations, transforming workplace tension into understanding and reconciliation."
--PATRICK LENCIONI, bestselling author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and The Six Types of Working Genius

"We all know that some conversations are more challenging than others. Communication is a key skill for everyone in the workplace and life, especially executives. This story brings practical structure to assist in having the important conversations that make us all better individually and collectively."
--MARIA MOORE, Chief Marketing Officer, Veritone

"Excellent communication is critical for bringing values to life in our workplaces and communities. Oftentimes, people shy away from having constructive conversations when situations are challenging, or topics are sensitive. Interpersonal relationships and teams can be strengthened when people choose to artfully navigate around and through these roadblocks by exercising transparency, trust, and vulnerability to reach higher ground. With application of the principles shared, the story of Ruth and her team in this book will help other leaders and teams improve this important skill set and achieve success."
--CHERI D. BENEDETTI, SHRM-SCP, Senior Vice President, Human Resources Officer, The Villages Health

About the Author

JON GORDON is a 15-time bestselling author, thought leader, and one of the most sought after leadership speakers and consultants who has worked with many of the best leaders and organizations on the planet. He believes that positivity is a competitive advantage and is the author of 30 books, including The Energy Bus, The Carpenter, The Power of Positive Leadership and The Power of a Positive Team.

Visit him at JonGordon.com

AMY P. KELLY is the Vice President of Consulting for The Jon Gordon Companies and a Global Facilitator for The Association for Talent Development in the areas of Change Management, Improving Human Performance, and Consulting Skills. She is co-author of The Energy Bus Field Guide and the author of G.L.U.E.: A Leadership Development Strategy to Bond and Unite. In her career as a human resources executive, Amy built award-winning employment brands and corporate university programs. She is dedicated to helping executives and their teams grow.