Authentic Communication: Transforming Difficult Conversations in the Workplace
By Fred Kofman
4.5/5
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About this ebook
When disagreements arise in the office, how do we express ourselves honestly without jeopardizing our career, our work relationships, or our own integrity? And how do we support the same openness in others? These are the critical questions you will explore in Authentic Communication: Transforming Difficult Conversations in the Workplace.
Drawing on his many years consulting with thousands of people on every organizational level, Fred Kofman shares a wealth of skills to help us “express and elicit all perspectives in the spirit of mutual learning.”
Fred Kofman
Fred Kofman, PhD, holds a doctorate in economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and is Google’s Vice President and leadership development advisor, director of the Conscious Leadership Center at Tecnológico de Monterrey, and founder and president of the Conscious Business Center International. Previously, he was Vice President of Executive Development at LinkedIn and a cofounder of Axialent, a global consulting company which has delivered leadership programs to more than 15,000 executives around the world. Fred is the author of the trilogy Metamanagement (2001), Conscious Business (2006), and The Meaning Revolution (2018).
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Reviews for Authentic Communication
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- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Business is an essential part of our lives. Doing business consciously, Fred Kofman, a co-founder of the consulting firm Axialent, is an essential part of living consciously. The author presents a business model where managers are more conscious of the inner and outer lives of employees. Anyone who works intuitively understands there are two types of managers. As a professor of accounting, Kofman begin his classes by having students listen to one of Beethoven’s pieces over and over. Gradually the students would realize that the music was not in the CD; but in the listening. In music as in business, Information’s only value is in how it is interpreted.Most recognize the need for smart employees with the latest in technical competency. Kofman argues it is more important, and less recognized, that organizations recruit and retain employees with high-level consciousness. He draws a contrast between unconscious attitudes and their conscious counterparts. They are:Unconscious Attitudes.....................Conscious Attitudes Unconditional Blame.......................Unconditional Responsibility Essential Selfishness........................Essential Integrity Ontological Arrogance.....................Ontological Humility Unconscious Behaviors....................Conscious Behaviors Manipulative Communication..........Authentic Communication Narcissistic Negotiation....................Constructive Negotiation Negligent Coordination.....................Impeccable Coordination Unconscious Reactions.....................Conscious Reactions Emotional Incompetence...................Emotional Mastery.These qualities are simple to understand; yet, they are difficult to implement. They represent common sense; yet, they are not found widely in common practice. They seem natural, yet they challenge deep-seated assumptions individuals hold about themselves, others and their world.Kofman opens the reader’s conscious to a unique resource for maximizing profit and potential in the workplace and beyond. Written concisely and coherently he communicates an uncommon wisdom about the truth of our emotions and healthy interpersonal practices in business and life. Penned by the Pointed PunditJanuary 16, 200710:12:54 AM
Book preview
Authentic Communication - Fred Kofman
them.
Authentic Communication
We tend to see ourselves primarily
in the light of our intentions,
which are invisible to others,
while we see others mainly in the light of their actions,
which are visible to us.
J.G. BENNETT¹
You want the truth!?
You can’t handle the truth!
JACK NICHOLSON, IN A FEW GOOD MEN
SHARON RAN THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT of a telecommunications company. Her boss, Patricia, proposed a change in the company’s benefit policy that Sharon found unfair and a move certain to destroy employee morale. Sharon wanted to share her frank opinion about the new proposal without offending her boss. After much internal debate, she requested a meeting with Patricia, who didn’t respond for a week. Finally, she invited Sharon to her office. What follows is a description of their conversation. The right-hand column reports the conversation as you might have heard it if you’d been there. The left-hand column reveals what Sharon thought to herself but never told Patricia.²