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Standing in the Fire
Book

Standing in the Fire

Leading high-heat meetings with clarity, calm, and courage

Berrett-Koehler, 2010 plus...


Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Applicable

Recommendation

Your mother may have told you not to play with matches, but you can’t always avoid fiery exchanges when you facilitate a meeting or lead a group. Organizational development consultant Larry Dressler explains why you should encourage rather than stifle heated discussions. He shares ways to control those personal “hot buttons” – sensitivities you’ve developed from past experiences – that can make you lose your cool in the heat of the moment. He reveals six steps for dealing with hot topics to help you successfully run a meaningful session when tempers flare. The book is a bit repetitious, and its advice may be familiar to readers of self-help books; however, it does contain practical suggestions and useful anecdotes that do a good job of illustrating its points. getAbstract recommends its expert guidance and practice exercises to anyone who leads or works with teams, whether in the workplace, on the playing field or at home.

Take-Aways

  • During a meeting, a contentious issue can spark into a heated exchange. As a leader, you need to remain in control and guide the fire toward constructive ends.
  • However, maintaining your poise can be a challenge when a fiery debate pushes your own “hot buttons.”
  • Meetings can intensify if their outcomes are uncertain, an issue is poorly understood, the group is fatigued, members aren’t open to others’ opinions and the team is diverse.

About the Author

Larry Dressler, an organizational development consultant, also wrote Consensus Through Conversation.


Comment on this summary or Démarrer une discussion

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    S. B. 4 years ago
    Laeding teams material is interesting
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    J. S. 1 decade ago
    sensible acknowledgement of the 'heat' that can be generated during conflict situations and how to get the most from the energy and passion seen.