Ron McMillan

Ron McMillan trained in sociology and organizational behavior, with advanced degrees in both fields. Before he worked on communication, he co-founded the Covey Leadership Center, the training company built around Stephen Covey's ideas. He served there as vice president of research and development for seven years.

In 1990 he co-founded VitalSmarts, now Crucial Learning, with Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny and Al Switzler. He has worked with groups from union members and front-line managers to chief executives on teamwork and leadership.

The four co-founders wrote Crucial Conversations (2002). The book studies the moments when stakes are high, opinions differ and emotions are strong. It argues that people who succeed in these moments do not choose between honesty and kindness. They make it safe for others to speak, separate facts from the stories they tell themselves, and state their own view tentatively. McMillan is also a co-author of Crucial Confrontations, Influencer and Change Anything.