“While difficult conversations may be the most dreaded task of any manager, Reynolds (Outsmart Your Brain) maintains that if handled effectively they can lead to greater employee investment and retention. Key to this approach is establishing trust and then progressing to reflective feedback and stimulating questions to help others regard situations more purposefully and grow beyond self-set limitations. The DREAM acronym sums up Reynold’s insights: Determine, Reflect, Explore, Acknowledge, and Make sure. In essence, this book serves as a course in active listening for business. VERDICT Learning the skills set forth in this work would be a plus for any leader.”
—Library Journal
“The book offers a number of helpful tips to probe in a tender way and maintain equilibrium in the discomfort zone. The value of such conversations is obvious, and if you want to try helping others through the discomfort zone, the book may be a good place to start.”
—The Globe and Mail
“Exceptionally well organized and presented, The Discomfort Zone: How Leaders Turn Difficult Conversations Into Breakthroughs is as informed and informative as it is thoughtful and thought-provoking. Very highly recommended…”
—Midwest Book Review
“…even experienced coaches will learn something new.”
—People Management
“This book is for leaders and coaches who want to create breakthroughs with people who are stuck or resisting change.”
—Talent Grow
“This is that book you want to keep close by, to turn to again and again to further your skills with those difficult conversations in the discomfort zone.”
—Zane Safrit, blogger
“Marcia gives real-world, rubber-meets-the-road insights and tactics to make our interactions count.”
—Vickie Sullivan, blogger
“Reynolds provides brilliant, grounded, and pragmatic tools to elevate a coaching conversation to an opportunity for growth.”
—Kevin Cashman, Senior Partner, Korn Ferry, and author of the best-selling Leadership from the Inside Out and The Pause Principle
“As a CEO, my success depends on my ability to coach my team through difficult situations that could hold us back. Dr. Reynolds’s book opened my mind, heart, and gut, teaching me how to listen and to truly have breakthrough moments with my team.”
—Krista Endsley, CEO, Abila
“Reynolds is a master at applying her extensive knowledge of the brain to the practical realities of leaders. She brilliantly applies the latest research on behavioral change to help leaders create significant learning moments.”
—Deb Giffen, Director, Innovative Learning Solutions, Wharton Executive Education
“Marcia Reynolds gives leaders the tools they need to go beyond basic coaching. Both provocative and practical, she lays out a framework for getting to the heart of the matter in conversations and includes vibrant case studies to ensure you apply what you learn.”
—Jennifer B. Kahnweiler, PhD, author of Quiet Influence
“This book leaves leaders and coaches no excuse for avoiding difficult is- sues. It’s time we all go beyond our comfort zones to do our best work.”
—Prof. Konstantin Korotov, PhD, Director, Center for Leadership Development Research, European School of Management and Technology, Berlin, Germany
“The Discomfort Zone presents valuable techniques to harness friction, break down limiting perspectives, and create shifts in thinking. I learned how to constructively challenge my team by expanding their minds and facilitating growth. You won’t seek being comfortable again!”
—Bettina Hein, founder and CEO, Pixability
“In The Discomfort Zone, Marcia Reynolds clearly describes how leaders can be most effective in communicating and coaching their teams to greater success even in the most stressful situations.”
—Victor F. Trastek, MD, Emeritus CEO, Mayo Clinic in Arizona, and Associate Director, Professionalism and Leadership, Mayo Clinic
“They say leaders make lemonade out of lemons; with The Discomfort Zone, you can turn conflict into career wins!”
—Jeffrey Hayzlett, show host, Bloomberg TV; best-selling author of The Mirror Test and Running the Gauntlet; and sometime cowboy
“Marcia Reynolds shows us that it is time to quit diffusing difficult conversations and embrace them. She guides us to use our head, heart, and gut to create the learning and growth needed to foster an innovative environment with engaged employees.”
—Betty-Ann Heggie, former Senior Vice President, Potash Corporation, and member of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women Hall of Fame
“No one has approached leadership conversations like this author. She gives her reader a clear path to progress. Don’t just read and nod at the ideas here; put them to work immediately.”
—Beverly Kaye, founder of Career Systems International and best-selling coauthor of Love ’Em or Lose ’Em
“This supremely practical book will guide you to help others move beyond their resistance. As you develop the confidence to embrace challenging interactions you’ll liberate tremendous creative energy and become a more effective leader at work and at home.”
—Michael J. Gelb, bestselling author of How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci and Creativity on Demand
“Dr. Reynolds helps us go beyond just ‘getting through’ difficult conversations. A master coach, she synthesizes the deepest wisdom from neuroscience and leadership to give us something really useful. This will be my new go-to guide for leaders.”
—Madeleine Homan Blanchard, cofounder of Coaching Services and CD2 Leadership, The Ken Blanchard Companies
“Marcia Reynolds shows how the ‘discomfort zone’ provides the fast- est path for helping others fulfill their potential. Her brilliant book is a guide for leaders at all levels to make a real difference.”
—Jesse Lyn Stoner, coauthor of Full Steam Ahead!
“Marcia Reynolds reveals the thought processes and techniques used by masterful coaches to engage others in transformational conversations. If you’re looking to take your coaching capabilities to the next level, The Discomfort Zone will prove an insightful and invaluable guide.”
—Dianna Anderson, CEO, Cylient, and coauthor of Coaching That Counts
“The Discomfort Zone provides solid practices for making challenging conversations a powerful tool for helping others learn, perform, and excel.”
—Chip R. Bell, coauthor of Managers as Mentors
“It’s crazy-making for leaders when they can’t communicate with their people. They need to enter the discomfort zone where real connections take place, creating the possibility for breakthrough conversations.”
—Darelyn “DJ” Mitsch, President, Pyramid Resource Group, and author of Team Advantage and Zombies to Zealots
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