(Berrett-Koehler: San Francisco) — In the new book published March 15 by Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Standing in the Fire: Leading High-Heat Meetings with Calm, Clarity, and Courage, author Larry Dressler shows that the key to effectively leading difficult meetings lies not in acquiring more tools and techniques but in your state of mind. Dressler offers dozens of stories, exercises and practices to help readers cultivate a grounded, compassionate, purposeful presence. The book draws on Dressler’s interviews with 35 distinguished experts in facilitation, negotiation, organizational development and leadership.

High heat meetings seem to be happening in more and more organizations these days—situations where participants are polarized, angry, fearful, confused. If you facilitate meetings for a living, all your well-learned techniques won’t help you in volatile and unpredictable situations like this. If you lead meetings as simply one part of your job, you probably feel even less able to cope.

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