Missing Conversations: 9 Questions All Leaders Should Ask Themselves

Countless books have already been published on the topic of leadership communication and the outward-facing conversations that leaders must skillfully navigate with their stakeholders to produce positive results. Missing Conversations: 9 Questions All Leaders Must Ask Themselves is the first book to name the inward-facing conversations that leaders must have – first and foremost with themselves – in order to lead with greater authenticity, credibility and calm.
This book captures nine areas of essential reflection that will deepen your self-awareness, increase your satisfaction and accelerate your success. If you or someone you care about feels stagnant in their current role, is new to leadership or is simply looking to reinvigorate their leadership in the face of daunting challenges, Missing Conversations may be just the guide they need to re-inspire themselves and those they lead.
Included in the book is a Missing Conversations Self-Assessment, which will point you toward those specific areas of reflection that are most critical to becoming happier and more effective in your leadership. The tool-kit at the end of each chapter will equip you with new practices and resources to sustain your learning. And, if you’re an executive coach or human resources professional, Missing Conversations provides you with a proven framework for maximizing the potential of the leaders you work with and enhancing your professional value.
The authors, both seasoned executive coaches with over forty years of combined experience, have included compelling stories of real-life leaders and provocative exercises that will enrich your learning. Written in an accessible, engaging format, Missing Conversations will help you focus amid distractions, better inspire yourself and those you lead, cultivate new habits and reaffirm the goals and values that you care about most.

Bridgette Theurer has more than 25 years of experience coaching and training individuals and teams around the world. Her clients have included senior executives, managers, and other professionals from a wide variety of organizations, including Marriott, Sodexho USA, Lockheed-Martin, George Mason University, the FDA, and Asbury, as well as numerous small businesses and startups. In addition to her experience as an executive coach, she has worked extensively in human resources and organizational development, both as a corporate trainer and as an independent management consultant. She is a certified career coach and has completed training programs with both the Coaches Training Institute (CTI) and the Institute of Generative Leadership (attending their Coaching for Excellence in Organizations course, or CEO). She is part of a team of coaches tapped to design and facilitate a 12-month Leadership Development Program for the FDA. An avid lifelong learner, she recently became certified as a somatic coach through the Strozzi Institute. Bridgette is president and founder of ClearCompass, a corporate coaching company.

Heather O’Neill Jelks is the president of Nautilus Coaching & Consulting, LLC, an executive coaching and consulting company dedicated to the development of masterful leaders. She has more than 20 years of experience in the fields of organization and leadership development with a background in leadership coaching, facilitation, conflict resolution, and training design and delivery. An avid runner and mindfulness meditation practitioner, Heather introduces her clients to leadership concepts and best practices that cultivate resilience, wisdom, and well-being. Her coaching clients include both emerging and experienced leaders in business, health care, the federal government, and the nonprofit sector, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Morgan Stanley/Smith Barney, and Georgetown University Hospital. Heather is an accredited executive coach trained through the Coaches Training Institute. She also holds a Somatic Coach certification through the Strozzi Institute. She graduated from Georgetown University, completed a master’s degree in organization development from the American University/NTL program, and holds a graduate certificate in conflict resolution from George Mason University. Heather has also trained in mindfulness-based stress reduction with Jon Kabat-Zinn.