REVIEW: Steve Curtin — The Revelation Conversation (BOOK)

Steve Curtin’s new book, The Revelation Conversation: Inspire Greater Employee Engagement by Connecting to Purpose, lays everything out in chronological order. From A to Z. What makes it stand out in doing this, (any good nonfiction piece should), is that he makes the narrative interesting and inspiring in spite of this in the process.

ABOUT TE AUTHOR: https://www.stevecurtin.com/about/

Part of this is because of what Curtin advocates for. It’s an exciting and passionate articulation of communication techniques that unify employer and employee, locking them in a singular vision best benefitting the company and ensuring both are enthused regardless of specific, position priorities. “Imagine the effect on the hiring manager who experienced, first-hand, the integrity of the company chairman,” Curtin writes. “And think about the potential criticism from the jilted job applicant that was avoided and the future contributions he may make to the firm. And what about current employees who take their cues from leadership? How has this action affected their morale, engagement levels, productivity, and pride in working for their employer?

These are all rhetorical questions for now, but they will ultimately be answered in engagement surveys, utilization reports, and turnover analysis.” Essentially everybody wins when everyone feels empowered. It’s somewhat saddening to think that a tactic like the titular Revelation Conversation is so earth-shattering in today’s world. It’s a testament to the social alienation that not only has existed during the tech boom, but in workplace generations preceding it. Curtin is able to highlight this, but never in a manner feeling condescending or overtly paternalistic. He has an obvious enthusiasm for the ideology he promotes, but never at the expense of shrewd, objective perspectives.

“A company’s core values are the fundamental beliefs, ideals, or practices that inform company decisions and guide behavior. Too often, however, these foundational values appear as an aspirational list on a company’s About webpage or logoed coffee mug but have little to do with day-to-day decision-making,” he states. “This is why it’s important to think deeply about how these core values should trickle down to a division, work group, or particular job role.

AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Revelation-Conversation-Employee-Engagement-Connecting/dp/1523000678

While there will likely be significant if not complete overlap with the organization’s overarching values, reflecting on them provides you with the opportunity to identify which are most important to your team or to redefine certain values in a way that resonates with the team’s specific function or purpose. And once you can articulate a set of job-specific values for your employees, then these values can serve as a touchstone for their behavior and decision-making.”

By making matters this concrete, and this solidified, Curtin’s work doesn’t feel preachy or ever like it resorts to filler. Rather, it’s packed to the top with interesting and evocative analyses and statistics, surprisingly sharp and thoughtful ruminations, and a sense of genuine heart making you want to adopt these practices, rather than just follow them for a desired outcome.

Colin Jordan