Summary: Powerful Conversations

Review and Analysis of Harkins' Book

BusinessNews Publishing

• Publisher: Must Read Summaries
• Year: 2016
• eBook ISBN: 9782511018132
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Meetings & Presentations
• Index: Business

The must-read summary of Phil Harkins' book: `Powerful Conversations: How High Impact Leaders Communicate`.

This complete summary of the ideas from Phil Harkins' book `Powerful Conversations` shows that any time two people engage in a conversation, there is the opportunity for each party to advance an agenda, learn something new or strengthen the relationship. In his book, the author explains that powerful conversations are a structured approach to maximising the benefits and impact of these conversations consistently to achieve great results. As such, powerful conversations are a driver of change by fostering learning and demanding that action steps be taken. This summary demonstrates how you can conduct powerful conversations and how they can benefit you personally and professionally.

Added-value of this summary:
• Save time
• Understand key concepts
• Expand your knowledge

To learn more, read `Powerful Conversations` provides the tools you need to get the most out of your conversations and achieve exceptional levels of performance.

Summary of Powerful Conversations (Phil Harkins)

1.
The Link Between Powerful Conversations
and High-Impact Leaders

Main Idea

With very few exceptions, there is a direct link between high impact leaders and powerful conversations. In other words, high impact leaders invariably become that way because of their ability to conceive and deliver a series of powerful conversations on a regular and consistent basis.

Supporting Ideas

At its very heart, the most fundamental thing any leader does is to communicate with the people he or she comes into contact with on a daily basis. Each of these contact points, whether in-person or by some other means, provides an opportunity for one of three outcomes to be achieved:

1. An agenda will be advanced -- there will be increased comprehension by one party of the dreams, vision and aspirations of the other party.
2. Shared learning will take place -- specific information will be exchanged and there will be increased comprehension about a specific issue.
3. A relationship will be strengthened -- through a “meeting of the minds” where both parties increase their mutual trust or understanding.

In short, powerful conversations are a powerful and reliable tool for leaders to generate results.

High impact leaders -- usually deliberately but sometimes unconsciously -- harness powerful conversations strategically to enhance the results achieved by their organizations. They engage in conversations that are very clear, consistent and forward moving. By doing so, they enhance their yield (and that of their organization’s) in terms of concrete and actual results achieved.

In this context, high impact leaders:

1. Get results -- by making things happen.
2. Move their organizations forward by proposing a clear and unambiguous agenda, encouraging others to share the same vision and following through consistently.
3. Can be found anywhere in an organization, and often have no formal job title.
4. Are always explicit, succinct and consistent in what they say to their peers or subordinates.
5. Sometimes have charisma, but often do not.
6. Are the sorts of people others want to follow -- not because they have to but because they want to.
7. Have alignment between what they say and what they do.
8. Have a track record of delivering on whatever they promise -- generating openness and trust.
9. Are trusted.
10. Are always great learners -- on the outlook for any ideas that can be harnessed to take their organizations onwards and upwards to greater levels of achievement.
11. Never make promises they cannot or do not intend to fulfill.
12. Constantly look for ways to enhance their impact.

The key dynamic for a high impact leader is the Say-Do axis:

For a leader to have a high impact on his/her organization, what they say matches what they do. If there is a disconnect -- where one thing is said and something entirely different is done -- the organization goes nowhere.

When consistency exists between words and actions, a foundation is laid for organizational trust to develop. On that foundation, a high impact leader enlists, focuses and directs the collaborative efforts of everyone within the organization. Only then can business synergy be created.

Key Thoughts

“Leaders talk. That is what they do. Leadership itself is really a series of powerful conversations.”

– Phil Harkins

“Leadership is hard work. Most leaders are decent enough communicators on sunny days when things are going well. The real opportunity for greatness, however, comes on those days when things are not so clear. Those are the occasions when a leader’s greatness is tested, and when his or her conversations must be powerful in order to win.”

– Warren Bennis, Professor, University of Southern California

“The high impact leaders I have observed are in a continual process of learning and development. This learning is focused in two directions. It is aimed outward, on the bigger issues involved in running an organization ...

Table of contents

• Title page
• Book Presentation
• Summary of Powerful Conversations (Phil Harkins)
• About the Summary Publisher
• Copyright