Diane M. Millis, PhD, is a leadership consultant, educator, spiritual director and author of Conversation-The Sacred Art: Practicing Presence in an Age of Distraction and Deepening Engagement: Essential Wisdom for Listening and Leading with Purpose, Meaning and Joy. She brings over twenty-five years of teaching experience in the fields of spirituality, communication studies, family studies and human development. As a leadership consultant, she coaches leaders in corporate, education, health care, ministry, non-profit and philanthropic settings. She is the founder of the Journey Conversations Project, an educational initiative devoted to developing deep listening and increasing self-awareness, mutual understanding and candor in communities. To learn more about her work, visit [...]

Foreword ix
Introduction xiii

Part One Engaging Our True Self
Be Who You Are 3
Make Use of Everything 7
Cultivate Stillness 12
Heed the Whispers 16
Shift Your Vision 22
Notice What Nourishes 27
Clean Your Compass Often 32
Honor Your Grief 39

Part Two Engaging One Another
Abandon Your Hat 47
Open to What Is Unfolding 52
Turn to Wonder 57
Polish the Mirror 62
Keep It Fresh 67
Listen Generously 72
Ask Heart-Awakening Questions 77
Speak about Growth and Possibility 83

Part Three Cultivating Engaging Communities
Learn from Everyone 91
Act on What Matters 95
Fan the Flame 101
Scan for Joy 106
Hold the Tension 113
Mine the Meaning 119
Improvise Often 126
Concentrate on the Relationships 132

Acknowledgments 138
Notes 141
For Further Reading 145
Credits 149