Heather O’Neill Jelks and Bridgette Theurer, both of whom are Highlands Certified Consultants and executive coaches in Washington, D.C., recently announced the release of their book, Missing Conversations: 9 Questions All Leaders Should Ask Themselves.
In the book, Heather and Bridgette address questions that business leaders rarely ask themselves. Being constantly “plugged in” and bogged down by the daily to-do list, leaders have little time for the self-reflection that is necessary for career success and satisfaction.
Heather explained that the nine questions captured in their book correlate directly to a leader’s self-awareness, satisfaction and success. “We’ve found that leaders who are willing to engage in these questions and missing conversations with themselves become more effective in their organizations and feel more confident and happier in their work.”
The Roots of the Book
Bridgette explained that she had the idea for the book about seven years ago when she first introduced the idea of missing conversations into her coaching work.
“I would often talk to my clients about what conversations were being neglected or avoided in the workplace,” she said. “Then when I met Heather a little bit later and shared the idea with her, we decided to take a different approach together; one that focused on personal reflections.”
Together the pair tackled each of the nine conversations they’ve identified as so critical and transformative when addressed.
“This book was born out of a desire to help people lead well in the digital era without losing themselves in the process. It’s a crazy workplace we have now, and so many people are just surviving, but we see so many wanting to do more than survive.”
The Highlands Connection
Chapter Six, “Where Do I Go from Here?”, talks about transitions in work life and the question “what’s next?” Heather said that no one is taught how to answer this question well, and so the purpose of the chapter is to provide tools that help point the way. And, as you might guess, one of those tools is the Highlands Ability Battery.
Missing Conversations is a book for leaders in all industries and in all stages of their careers seeking job satisfaction. It’s also an excellent resource for executive coaches.
“This is a book that I wish I had when I started out as a coach,” Bridgette said. “I did not have a road map for how to coach leaders in organizations. I really believe that Missing Conversations is a gold mine for coaches.”
Learn more about Heather O’Neill Jelks and her coaching practice on the Nautilus Coaching website and Bridgette Theurer on the Clear Compass website. Learn more about Missing Conversations: 9 Questions All Leaders Should Ask Themselves at MissingConversations.com.
