Powerful Conversations

Phil Harkins is presidents and CEO of Linkage, Inc., an organizational development company. Prior to founding Linkage, Harkins was on the senior faculty of Boston University.

"Phil Harkins has it exactly right. To be a leader is to communicate powerfully-as he does in this thoughtful book."- Robert B. Reich, Professor of Social and Economic PolicyBrandeis University.

For the first time in one comprehensive guide, noted leadership expert Phil Harkins shares the powerful conversation techniques he has been studying and using for years with many top executives from Fortune 500 companies such as Kraft, Xerox, and Morgan Stanley. Over the yearsthese techniques have proven to improve the growth and productivity of dozens of companies by helping high-impact leaders attain new levels of work. Powerful Conversations, Harkins illustrates, are neither mystical nor unattainable. Harkins outlines the processes to follow to eliminate communication barriers to foster learning and growth. Heexplains why and how powerful conversations are effective tools - and how to use and measure them to know when you've had a productive powerful conversation. He also addresses other key topics, including: the five kinds and 10 types of powerful conversations; when and where to have powerful conversations; how to avoid bad conversations that destroy relationships. Packed with real-life examples from greatleaders and communicators such as Jack Welch, Oprah Winfrey, and Howard Schultz, Harkins provides a step-by-step blueprint for mastering the craft of powerful, productive conversations. His program is one that all leaders - from team leaders to CEOs - will learn from and follow for years to come.

Foreword.