RWL Newsletter #95 - Crucial Conversations edition
Greetings from the University of New Hampshire! What a great day! I was privileged to bring 23 of my students to the annual meeting of the Northern New England Association of Healthcare Executives (NNEAHE), the local chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE). The event was at one of New Hampshire's grand hotels - Wentworth By the Sea - which is just a beautiful facility. It was a great day of education for all. The members were very gracious to our students, making them feel welcome and giving them great advice about starting their careers.
So this week I was talking about working through difficult, or "crucial" conversations in my management class, and I thought I would share some of the materials I used. I'll be honest - this one of my weaknesses. I'm just not good at this. My style under stress is definitely silence. It's a thing I keep trying to work on, and have been working on for years. The book, Crucial Conversations resonated with me, as it has with many people, so I structured the classes around it. I hope you find it interesting.
Read
What: What is Your Style Under Stress?
https://www.vitalsmarts.nl/wp-content/uploads/Style-Under-Stress-test-version-4.pdf
Why: "How do you react when conversations suddenly move from smooth and easygoing to tense or awkward? Do you retreat into silence? Do you go on the attack? Or do you do your best to keep the conversation calm and focused on the issues at hand?"
Try this survey from the authors of Crucial Conversations to find out a bit about yourself. This short article explains some of the categories. Check out the Watch video below for a little more detail about the book. Definitely recommend the book. I have heard from many leaders that this books was transformative for their thinking.
Watch
What: Video Review for Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson (6 minutes)
https://youtu.be/EFaXx3pgaxM
Why: This video will give you a short explanation of the concepts from the style survey above. A good tease for the book. Well worth watching. But I highly recommend the book.
Listen
What: smart people podcast, Kerry Patterson (40 minutes)
https://www.smartpeoplepodcast.com/transcripts/episode-26-kerry-patterson/
Why: This is a good interview with Kerry Patterson, the author of Crucial Conversations. She's talking mostly about her new book, but you can hear her principles coming through. Worth the time.
Thanks for reading and see you next week! If you come across any interesting stories, won't you send them my way? I'd love to hear what you think of these suggestions, and I'd love to get suggestions from you. Feel free to drop me a line by e-mail, or you can tweet to me at @mbonica .
Also, if you find these links interesting, won’t you tell a friend? They can subscribe here: https://tinyletter.com/markbonica
Have a great weekend and do amazing things!
Mark
Mark J. Bonica, Ph.D., MBA, MS
Assistant Professor
Department of Health Management and Policy
University of New Hampshire
(603) 862-0598
mark.bonica@unh.edu
Health Leader Forge Podcast: http://healthleaderforge.org
"I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavor." - Henry David Thoreau