Organizations are networks of conversations. In this groundbreaking book for executives, managers, coaches and educators, follow a new manager in a large organization, as she transforms her conversational capabilities with the help of an executive coach into an effective, visionary leader. Conversational capability is one of, if not the most important capabilities an individual or organization can possess. It is also the most challenging to measure and improve. From spouses and children in morning routines to bosses, employees and coworkers at the workplace to clients, customers, suppliers, and so on, conversations either rule our days completely or simply serve as clear boundaries to their success or failure. Conversational competency is at the heart of leadership, coaching, mentoring and creating sustainable value. Conversation Innovation is a compelling and engaging text at the forefront of this critically important subject matter. It is suited for corporate, academic and executive coaching audiences.

Work is broken. But it can be fixed. Most employees are not engaged in their work. Turnover rates are increasing. Productivity is stagnating. Why? Because when designing work, we rarely consider the deep-seated human need for meaningfulness, autonomy, and feedback. Drawing from decades of research, executive and entrepreneur David Henkin and management consultant Thomas Bertels take us on an investigative journey to solve this problem and make work more productive, satisfying, and meaningful. Through their allegorical tale of a typical office with typical employees, they allow us to see ourselves in the characters while learning strategies to create better jobs and perform at higher levels. By empowering his team with these methods, manager Jerry provides a road map for us to fix what’s broken at our own companies. Fixing Work is a clarion call for managers and executives at all levels. Instead of treating employees like automatons and discouraging creativity, ownership, and engagement, we should rethink how work gets done and structure jobs to be intrinsically motivating. Not only does motivational work design increase employee engagement; it also improves productivity and the customer experience, strengthening the company as a whole—a triple win.