The Missing Conversations
Navigating Awareness, Avoidance, and Adversity at Work
The Missing Conversations will help C-Level Executives understand their teams…and be understood by them.
Allen Hauge
Group Chair, Vistage Worldwide
This book has the power to change lives in the workplace. It’s a must-read for anyone committed to better communication and stronger relationships at work.
Matt Ricketts
President and Co-Founder, Better Life Home
Zach’s message is clear: the conversations we often avoid are the ones that can change everything.
David Baumstark
President and Owner, Burner Design and Control
A must-read for anyone looking to elevate their leadership and cultivate a culture of strategic growth and collaboration.
Jared Bryson
President, Catholic Charities of St. Louis
Working directly with Dr. Z is game-changing, and this book is a close second.
Tim Riley
CEO, Laclede Chain Manufacturing
The Missing Conversations is required reading in our organization, and we provide copies to all our business owner clients and their key executives.
Neal Albritton
CEO, Lead Advisor & Joy-Bringer, Albritton Financial Services
The Missing Conversations will help C-Level Executives understand their teams…and be understood by them.
Allen Hauge
Group Chair, Vistage Worldwide
This book has the power to change lives in the workplace. It’s a must-read for anyone committed to better communication and stronger relationships at work.
Matt Ricketts
President and Co-Founder, Better Life Home
Zach’s message is clear: the conversations we often avoid are the ones that can change everything.
David Baumstark
President and Owner, Burner Design and Control
A must-read for anyone looking to elevate their leadership and cultivate a culture of strategic growth and collaboration.
Jared Bryson
President, Catholic Charities of St. Louis
Working directly with Dr. Z is game-changing, and this book is a close second.
Tim Riley
CEO, Laclede Chain Manufacturing
The Missing Conversations is required reading in our organization, and we provide copies to all our business owner clients and their key executives.
Neal Albritton
CEO, Lead Advisor & Joy-Bringer, Albritton Financial Services
Testimonials
After 30 years as a communication expert, I still find myself experiencing “guppy moments”— when my mouth opens but nothing comes out. The Missing Conversations offers leaders specific communication strategies to turn these moments into productive conversations.
Dr. Schaefer’s The Missing Conversations is a literary elephant hunter. Chapter after chapter defines, examines, explores, and devours the proverbial elephant in the room. Conversations and inner thoughts are explored from multiple sides to hold a real conversation about the things we rarely define. Exceptional!
The Missing Conversations is an eye-opening guide to the essential but often overlooked dialogues that shape an organization’s success. Zach Schaefer offers practical insights for leaders to build genuine connections, drive accountability, and cultivate a more resilient, goal-oriented team. This book is essential reading for organizations looking to align their people with their purpose.
The Missing Conversations will help C-Level Executives understand their teams…and be understood by them. Dr. Zach Schaefer brings his rare blend of academic rigor and entrepreneurial experience to the communication challenges that even the most seasoned executive must confront to realize their vision for their enterprises and employees. Dr. Z’s guidance on “Navigating Awareness, Avoidance, and Adversity at Work” is spot on and not to be missed.
Many high-performing leaders get frustrated as they scale their business, focusing on the challenges ahead while the opportunity cost of unspoken conversations grows rapidly. In this book, Zach highlights these often overlooked (or ineffectively executed) conversations and provides leaders with an easily digestible, thought-provoking, and actionable approach to unleash their people and accelerate the business. The questions posed in the book will ignite the leader’s passion and, when shared with the team, will foster increased alignment around the essential conversations we’re often missing. Use this book as a tool to increase leverage, decrease friction, and drive your results on purpose.
The Missing Conversations will help your leadership team improve the way they communicate, allowing them to work smarter to achieve goals. Dr. Z’s real-life stories and examples make the book a must read for business leaders.
About The Author
Zach “Dr. Z” Schaefer is a leadership coach, consultant, and mediator, as well as a co-owner of The Post Sports Bar & Grill, a thriving sports bar chain based in St. Louis. With an impressive career spanning both academia and entrepreneurship, Dr. Z has dedicated himself to helping hundreds of organizations bridge the gap between strategy and execution by aligning people and business goals.
As a thought leader, Dr. Z’s insights have been featured in the Harvard Business Review, CNBC, and Fast Company. A retired tenured professor and certified mediator, he brings a wealth of knowledge to his clients, fostering both personal and organizational development that enables leaders to build cohesive, resilient teams. Dr. Z speaks extensively both domestically and internationally on leadership and organizational transformation.
Beyond consulting and coaching, he serves as Chief Culture Officer at The Post Sports Bar & Grill, where he applies his communication-centered philosophy to a team of over 160 employees. Driven by his mission to serve as an action catalyst through communication, Dr. Z’s work consistently delivers impactful, sustainable results.