2. THE BUSINESS SOURCE
Ron McMillan
LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP
• One of the most important skills every leader needs is the ability to communicate well –
especially in crucial conversations
• It allows leaders to gain more influence, create highly motivated teams and dramatically
increase productivity - It’s a bold claim but it’s backed by 30 years of ongoing research by
VitalSmarts Ron McMillan
• Over 2 million people have gone through VitalSmarts training or have participated in
speeches, webinars or seminars, and today we will learn how to become a more influential
and productive leader directly from Ron McMillan, a cofounder of VitalSmarts
• Ron has taught and advised leaders for more than 25 years and cofounded Covey
Leadership Centre
• Coauthor of New York Times bestsellers Influencer, Crucial Conversations and Crucial
Confrontations
3. THE BUSINESS SOURCE
Ron The Genesis of Crucial Conversations
LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP
• The investigation started in 1990 while trying to answer the question, “How could we help
business leaders become more effective in the way they communicate?”
• Available information was very limited so they conducted their own 12 year study The
Genesis of Crucial Conversations
• Used a method called Best Practices, initially involving questionnaires and then identifying
and “shadowing” the best communicators
• After 10,000 hours of observations they identified the “master communicators”
• Ultimately identified 29 interpersonal skills used by the master communicators and eight
fundamental principles or communication strategies
