Questions Every Leader Should Ask II

As a followup to John's Sept. 5 entry on Susan Scott's book Fierce Conversations, FC Now reader Anwar Haneef shares some of the notes he's taken while reading the book so far.

His biggest takeaway: "If you decide on having a serious 'talk,' go ahead and do it before it's too late. Make sure you get to the point early on and don't beat around the bush." Anwar knows from experience -- he just had his yesterday.

Fast Company contributor Michael Kaplan offers some pointers for the toughest talks in business:

• Straying from the real issue will always sabotage your mission.
• The future is more important than the past.
• There's no anesthesia for the pain of a difficult conversation.
• Defending the weak parts of your argument is a waste of time.

Best of luck, Anwar! Keep us in the loop.