The Business Bookmark - Leadership Mastery for CEOs, Founders and Managers
Helping you step into leadership with confidence, thrive in your role, and become the leader others aspire to follow.
Your time is valuable. You need clear, practical, and powerful insights to level up as a leader—without spending hours reading business leadership books.
Welcome to The Business Bookmark—your shortcut to the world’s most impactful business leadership books. Hosts Howard Montagu and Harjit Chana break down essential reads, extracting game-changing strategies and real-world lessons you can apply immediately. But we don’t just summarise—we bring the books to life with personal experiences, real-world case studies, and data-driven insights to show you how these principles work in today’s fast-moving business world.
Whether you’re a CEO, entrepreneur, or aspiring leader in any area be it a business, charity, school, church or anywhere else you’ll gain actionable strategies to boost performance, lead with confidence, and drive success.
Turn your commute, workout, or coffee break into a leadership masterclass.
Subscribe now and join a growing community of business leaders committed to continuous learning and professional growth.
The Business Bookmark - Leadership Mastery for CEOs, Founders and Managers
Mastering Crucial Conversations: The Secret Skill of Great Leaders
What if one conversation could make or break your leadership? In this episode of The Business Bookmark, hosts Howard and Harjit dive into the game-changing book Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler.
Discover how top leaders turn difficult conversations into powerful moments of clarity, trust, and progress. From creating psychological safety to staying calm under pressure, Howard and Harjit unpack the key skills that help leaders handle high-stakes situations with confidence and control.
Packed with real-life examples, practical takeaways, and a few laughs along the way, this episode will transform how you lead, collaborate, and connect. Whether you’re managing a team or navigating tough talks in life, this is a must-listen.
00:00 Introduction to Crucial Conversations
01:25 The Importance of Effective Conversations
03:42 Statistics on Communication and Productivity
07:34 Defining Crucial Conversations
09:22 Principle 1: Start with Heart
11:57 Principle 2: Create Psychological Safety
16:37 Principle 3: Master Your Stories
19:19 The Importance of Active Listening
20:19 Introducing the STATE Framework
20:53 Breaking Down the STATE Method
22:26 Applying the STATE Method in Conversations
25:28 Encouraging Feedback and Testing
27:14 Moving to Action: Ensuring Clear Decisions
28:54 Personal Leadership Experiences
30:56 Strengths and Weaknesses of the Book
34:08 Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways
