Fierce Conversations: Introduction to the Review

Fierce Conversations
By Susan Scott (the Penguin Group, 2002) Reviewed by Steve Gladis, Ph.D.
This is the first of several posts this week based on my in-depth review of the book Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott—available on Amazon. I highly recommend this book for solving problems and building deeper relationships—in both your personal and professional lives.

It’s often difficult to have tough conversations with other people, especially people we care deeply about. Susan Scott wrote Fierce Conversations about how to do just such a thing—have a difficult or fierce conversation. Scott maintains that “the conversation is the relationship.” And, throughout the book, she makes this point—fiercely. Unfortunately, most of us have very surface-like conversations in our lives and never get down to the stuff that matters with the people who matter to us. Fierce Conversations teaches people how to have conversations they need, not necessarily want to have. In the end, every conversation changes the relationship either for the better or the worse. And as tough as fierce conversations are to have, they build the relationship by surfacing important issues—the earlier the better.
This week I’ll review the book in depth.