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Bringing Conversations to Life

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.

—MARCEL PROUST

Too often, leaders become mired in one type of engagement, trying the same tactics again and again, hoping for different outcomes. I call getting stuck in Level I conversations the “Tell–Sell–Yell Syndrome.”

Over my years working with leaders and teams, I’ve come to realize that people often have good intentions and think they are fostering great conversations when they are not. For example, a leader who realizes her team is not getting her message about the vision and mission of the company may “tell more,” hoping that more information will make a difference. If telling more doesn’t create the results she ...

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