Learn how Crucial Skills can help you make difficult but necessary changes in your organization.
What People are Saying
“Crucial Conversations offers a practical and powerful tool set to increase the effectiveness of conversations in every aspect of your life.”
-Christine Landon
Director of Executive Development, Agilent
“I now use the tools and techniques I learned in Crucial Conversations every single day”
-Ben Treynor Sloss
VP of Engineering, Google
“We know that these skills from Crucial Conversations have positively impacted revenue, retention, productivity, quality, and teamwork…”
-John Thompson
Chairman of the Board, Symantec
"Crucial Conversations yields a practical set of skills that leaders can make actionable when handling complex issues."
-Nisha Advani
Director of Executive Development, Genentech / Roche
“We have been offering Crucial Conversations at Synopsys and its perceived value just keeps increasing among managers at all levels. I am convinced that if all of Synopsys becomes confident and competent at holding difficult conversations we will be more efficient, more effective, and more successful, both personally and as a company.”
-Linda Thompson
VP of HR, Synopsys
“Great course … I would like to see others in my company taking Crucial Conversations.”
-Tony Rogers
Sr. Mgr of Operations, L&D Solutions Group, Cisco Systems
“When you get right down to it, the one key tool that managers have to achieve their results is conversation. Crucial Conversations provides a framework and set of tools that are key to ensuring that every conversation moves people forward in order to achieve their stated results.”
-Mike Girone
Global Learning & Leadership Development, Agilent
“Crucial Conversations was the course in the greatest demand from business leaders at Sun. It is a practical skill development that is immediately applicable to drive business results.”
-Jenny Dearborn
former Americas CLO at Sun Microsystems, and then Director Technology Services L&D at Hewlett-Packard
“I found the content not only incredibly relevant to business scenarios, but to be useful in nearly all aspects of my interactions with others. I felt that Richard Lee was a phenomenal facilitator/instructor and really guided the learning in a constructive, collaborative way. I believe the Crucial Conversations curriculum would be beneficial for just about anyone.
-Erika Willhelm
L&D Global Business Partner, Technology Services, Hewlett-Packard
“Crucial Conversations is the communication tool we implemented across 100% of all managers at Cadence and Agilent. Very practical, works very well with engineers and functional groups alike. I have worked with Richard Lee as a delivery person for the tool for nearly 10 years now.”
-Sonia Clark
then Leader of Talent Strategy, Juniper Networks
“The Crucial Conversations program my team attended enabled us to strengthen our relationships with internal customers and partners, achieve common goals and create win/wins rather than avoid conflict situations or railroad our views. They say it’s the best class they’ve ever attended!”
-Michelle Seals
Manager, Serviceability Design Engineering, Cisco
“Richard Lee ensures learning and organizational solutions create powerful and lasting business impact. High energy, innovative, insightful yet practical. Crucial Conversations is first class and Richard is outstanding as its facilitator.”
-Steve Umphreys
formerly VP of HR, Salesforce.com
“The course was insightful and as the feedback shows, the concepts definitely resonated with the attendees.”
-Kiran Oak
HR Business Partner, Google
“Crucial Conversations is an essential behavioral tool for Product Management… My staff uses the skills daily… Virtually all attendees (75) rank this one of the best courses they’ve taken.”
—Robin Purohit
formerly VP of Product Management, Symantec
now VP/GM Software Products, Hewlett-Packard
“Crucial Conversations and Crucial Confrontations were relevant and immediately effective for our teams in realizing better results in strategic planning. Richard is an outstanding instructor – his delivery of this material is motivating. It was especially rewarding to hear the accolades from my team colleagues after sponsoring this program.”
—Tom Carhart
VP, Strategy and Corporate Development, Hewlett-Packard
“In this ever changing environment, the ability to effectively engage in high stakes conversations is essential to having impact and influence in business, the community and in your personal relationships. Crucial Conversations offers a practical and powerful tool set to increase the quality and effectiveness of those conversations in every aspect of your life.”
—Christine Landon
Director of Executive Development, Agilent
“Symantec began offering Crucial Conversations to its employees in 2005. Over the years we have seen many instances of business advantages gained by our employees’ utilizing the superior communications skills that enable them to conduct productive conversations in difficult situations. We know that these skills have positively impacted revenue, retention, productivity, quality, and teamwork…”
—John Thompson
Chairman of the Board, Symantec
(put over 5,000 people through the 2 day program)
“We began our work with Crucial Conversations in 2004 as part of a transformation of our IT culture and leadership. The skills and insights gained from the program immediately improved our ability to deal with difficult situations and to strengthen our capacity for teamwork and higher performance. When Crucial Confrontations was developed, it became one of the highest rated programs ever with broad application in our project teams and relationships with our customers. Together, these programs have deepened our capacity to build and improve relationships and to handle difficult situations with greater confidence, ease, and effectiveness. With nearly half of our employees completing the program, it has become an integral part of our culture and our way of working together. I recommend it to any organization that wants to improve its performance and level of satisfaction at work.”
—Todd Pierce
CIO, Genentech
“When you get right down to it, the one key tool that managers have to achieve their results is conversation. Crucial Conversations provides a framework and set of tools that are key to ensuring that every conversation moves people forward in order to achieve their stated results.”
—Mike Girone
Global Learning & Leadership Development, Agilent
“The Crucial Conversations program my team attended enabled us to strengthen our relationships with internal customers and partners, achieve common goals and create win/wins rather than avoid conflict situations or railroad our views. They say it’s the best class they’ve ever attended!”
—Michelle Seals
Manager, Serviceability Design Engineering, Cisco
“Crucial Conversations has been a popular workshop, garnering a 96% grade for the overall learning experience.”
—Mark Sato
then Sr. Mgr., Leadership Development, Oracle
“Crucial Conversations still continues to be our MOST Popular class.”
—Stacy Kuehnis
Cadence University, Cadence Design
“Richard Lee is a very talented and effective consultant and trainer that drives impactful business outcomes by aligning and building individual, team and organizational capability. He has in-depth expertise in Learning and Development, Executive Coaching and Facilitation. Richard is highly collaborative and insightful, always focused on the needs of the business and his clients. Richard possesses an outstanding ability to deliver state of the art programs such as Crucial Conversations and Crucial Confrontations. He engages his audience and provides them with relevant and tangible tools. I highly recommend Richard Lee.”
—Joan Cronin
formerly VP HR Applied Biosystems
“Richard ensures learning and organizational solutions create powerful and lasting business impact. High energy, innovative, insightful yet practical. Crucial Conversations is first class and Richard is outstanding as its facilitator. I’ll use his services again.”
—Steve Umphreys
formerly VP of HR, Salesforce.com
“Richard Lee is one of the most expert professionals that I know. He is solely dedicated to the success of his clients and freely donates his time and expertise. Richard has had an amazing impact for us in communications skills development. His efforts have benefited both my organization and myself personally. I gladly and whole-heartedly endorse Richard Lee.”
—John Castaldi
Crucial Conversations Project Head, Symantec
“Richard and I have partnered together to bring Crucial Conversations, Crucial Confrontations, and Influencer to Sun Microsystems. Richard’s in-depth experience in both the learning field and the high-tech industry has been instrumental in implementing the Vital Smarts training programs in our fast paced technical environment.”
—Denise Wolf
formerly Sun, now Leadership Development, Oracle
“Richard has provided invaluable consulting work to us in the area of leadership development strategy, program facilitation and delivery of the Crucial Conversations workshop. I find Richard a pleasure to work with. He always operates with the best interests of his clients in mind.”
—David Crighton
formerly Director of L&D, AAA (Northern CA, Utah, Nevada)
“I have worked closely with Richard off and on for several years. He has helped to develop custom training for my organization as well as the Crucial Conversations training that he has made such a specialty. I believe that he is one of the best communicators that I have ever met and a tremendous educator. Richard understand how to define mutual goals well and find solutions that are mutually beneficial. He can deliver difficult messages in a way that is direct and constructive. I regularly send my folks to his courses and recommend him to others. Richard is one of those outstanding people that you meet.”
—Devin Jones
Sr. Manager, Customer Advocacy, Cisco Systems
“When you get right down to it, the one key tool that managers have to achieve their results is conversation. Crucial Conversations provides a framework and set of tools that are key to ensuring that every conversation moves people forward in order to achieve their stated results.”
- Mike Girone
Global Learning & Leadership Development, Agilent
“Crucial Conversations was the course in the greatest demand from business leaders at Sun. It is a practical skill development that is immediately applicable to drive business results.”
- Jenny Dearborn
former Americas CLO at Sun Microsystems, and then Director Technology Services L&D at Hewlett-Packard
“I found the content not only incredibly relevant to business scenarios, but to be useful in nearly all aspects of my interactions with others. I felt that Richard Lee was a phenomenal facilitator/instructor and really guided the learning in a constructive, collaborative way. I believe the Crucial Conversations curriculum would be beneficial for just about anyone.”
- Erika Willhelm
L&D Global Business Partner, Technology Services, Hewlett-Packard
“Crucial Conversations is the communication tool we implemented across 100% of all managers at Cadence and Agilent. Very practical, works very well with engineers and functional groups alike. I have worked with Richard Lee as a delivery person for the tool for nearly 10 years now.”
- Sonia Clark
then Leader of Talent Strategy, Juniper Networks
“When you get right down to it, the one key tool that managers have to achieve their results is conversation. Crucial Conversations provides a framework and set of tools that are key to ensuring that every conversation moves people forward in order to achieve their stated results.”
- Mike Girone
Global Learning & Leadership Development, Agilent
“The Crucial Conversations program my team attended enabled us to strengthen our relationships with internal customers and partners, achieve common goals and create win/wins rather than avoid conflict situations or railroad our views. They say it’s the best class they’ve ever attended!”
- Michelle Seals
Manager, Serviceability Design Engineering, Cisco
“Richard Lee ensures learning and organizational solutions create powerful and lasting business impact. High energy, innovative, insightful yet practical. Crucial Conversations is first class and Richard is outstanding as its facilitator.”
- Steve Umphreys
formerly VP of HR, Salesforce.com
