Coaching for Leaders

Latest Episodes:

601: Gallup’s Insights on Addressing Unhappiness, with Jon Clifton Oct 31, 2022

Show notes

Jon Clifton: Blind Spot Jon Clifton is the CEO of Gallup. His mission is to help 7 billion citizens be heard on their most pressing work and life issues through the Gallup World Poll, a 100-year initiative spanning over 150 countries. He is a nonresident senior fellow at Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion and serves on the boards of directors for Gallup and Young Professionals in Foreign Policy. Jon has been interviewed on BBC News, Axios, C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal,” and Al-Jazeera, and he has testified in front of the U.S. Congress on the state of American small business and entrepreneurship. He is a frequent contributor on Gallup.com and has written for The Hill, The Diplomatic Courier, and The Global Action Report. He is the author of Blind Spot: The Global Rise of Unhappiness and How Leaders Missed It. In this conversation, Jon and I discuss why many objective numbers like GDP appear positive and yet don’t correlate to wellbeing and happiness. We examine how to think about more subjective measures and ways for leaders and organizations to gain insight. Plus, we dialogue about what managers can do to help make genuine connections in the workplace. Key Points While objective trends worldwide such as GDP and the Human Development Index have been positive for decades, people are angrier, sadder, and more worried than ever. There’s a key distinction between how someone sees their life and how someone lives their life. Money does not buy happiness, but it is hard to be happy without it. Frequent conversations, listening, and framing work around strengths are key actions managers can take to address unhappiness with employees. Examples of questions/survey topics to ask of customers to gain insight into emotional attachment: Company always delivers on what they promise. I feel proud to be a Company customer. Company is the perfect company for people like me. Examples of questions/survey topics to ask of suppliers to to gain insight into emotional attachment: Company always treats me with respect. Company is easy to do business with. Company always does what they say they will do. Resources Mentioned Blind Spot: The Global Rise of Unhappiness and How Leaders Missed It* by Jon Clifton CliftonStrengths (formerly StrengthsFinder) assessment Interview Notes Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes These Coaching Questions Get Results, with Michael Bungay Stanier (episode 237) How Teams Use StrengthsFinder Results, with Lisa Cummings (episode 293) How to Help People Thrive, with Jim Harter (episode 532) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

600: How to Discover Meaningful Work, with Scott Anthony Barlow Oct 24, 2022

Show notes

Scott Anthony Barlow: Happen to Your Career Scott Anthony Barlow wants you to find work you love. He is CEO of Happen To Your Career and host of the Happen to Your Career podcast, which has been listened to over 3 million times across 159 countries and is the largest career change podcast in the world. As a former HR leader, Scott has interviewed over two thousand people for jobs and completely rejects the way most organizations choose to do work. He’s a nerd for self development, human behavior, and ice hockey. He's the author of the book Happen to Your Career: An Unconventional Approach to Career Change and Meaningful Work*. In this conversation, Scott and I discuss the assumptions that many of us bring to finding career happiness — and where those assumptions might lead us astray. We also explore in detail the process that Scott and his team use with clients: career experimenting. In addition, Scott and I share how we’ve used experimenting in our own careers to align with meaning. Key Points People assume that you start with clarity. In actuality, you start with declaring priorities, which is what eventually creates clarity. Taking vacation or an extended break from work is important for many reasons, but it’s not often the activity that creates clarity. Movement and experimenting is the way you move from declaring your priorities to creating clarity. Use career experiments as a way to begin surfacing interests and relationships that will help you to find clarity. Leaders should open the door to career experimentation to support employees in developing themselves inside the organization — or potentially moving onto other opportunities. Resources Mentioned Happen to Your Career: An Unconventional Approach to Career Change and Meaningful Work* by Scott Anthony Barlow Finding the Career That Fits You (Scott’s FREE 8-Day Video Course) Interview Notes Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes How to Actually Move Numbers, with Chris McChesney (episode 294) Three Steps to Great Career Conversations, with Russ Laraway (episode 370) Ten Years of Leadership, with Dave Stachowiak (episode 541) How to Reduce Burnout, with Jennifer Moss (episode 561) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

599: The Art of Mentoring Well, with Robert Lefkowitz Oct 17, 2022

Show notes

Robert Lefkowitz: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Stockholm Robert Lefkowitz is James B. Duke Professor of Medicine and Professor of Biochemistry and Chemistry at the Duke University Medical Center. His group spent 15 difficult years developing techniques for labeling the receptors with radioactive drugs and then purifying the four different receptors that were known and thought to exist for adrenaline. In 1986 Bob and his team transformed the understanding of what had become known as G protein coupled receptors, when he and his colleagues cloned the gene for the beta2-adrenergic receptor. Today, more than half of all prescription drug sales are of drugs that target either directly or indirectly the receptors discovered by Bob and his trainees. These include amongst many others beta blockers, angiotensin receptor blockers or ARBs and antihistamines. He has received numerous honors and awards, including the National Medal of Science, the Shaw Prize, the Albany Prize, and the 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is the author with Randy Hall of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Stockholm: The Adrenaline Fueled Adventures of an Accidental Scientist*. In this conversation, Bob and I explore the important nature of mentoring in his success — and how he has in turn utilized mentoring to support so many colleagues and students. We discuss the importance of building careers around problems versus techniques and other key principles that effective mentors adopt. Plus, we explore the key of ownership of work and using fun as an indicator to follow. Key Points Success is rarely accidental. Most people with extraordinary accomplishments had outstanding mentors along the way. Teach people to build their careers around problems, not techniques. The crucial job of a mentor is to keep things in focus for the person you are mentoring — both in their current work and their careers. People achieve the most motivation when they have ownership over their work. A key measure of striking the right guidance between ownership and guidance is whether or not everybody is having fun. Resources Mentioned A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Stockholm: The Adrenaline Fueled Adventures of an Accidental Scientist* by Robert Lefkowitz Interview Notes Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes What You Gain By Sponsoring People, with Julia Taylor Kennedy (episode 398) How to Know What You Don’t Know, with Art Markman (episode 437) How to Lead and Retain High Performers, with Ruth Gotian (episode 567) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

598: The Assumptions That Stop Us From Listening Well, with Oscar Trimboli Oct 10, 2022

Show notes

Oscar Trimboli: How to Listen Oscar Trimboli is an author, host of the Apple award-winning podcast Deep Listening and a sought-after keynote speaker. He is passionate about using the gift of listening to bring positive change in homes, workplaces, and cultures around the world. Through his work with chairs, boards of directors, and executive teams, Oscar has experienced firsthand the transformational impact leaders and organizations can have when they listen beyond the words. Oscar is a marketing and technology industry veteran with over 30 years experience across general management, sales, marketing, and operations for Microsoft, PeopleSoft, Polycom, Professional Advantage, and Vodafone. He is the author of the book, Deep Listening and now, his newest book, How to Listen: Discover the Hidden Key to Better Communication*. In this conversation, Oscar and I explore several of the assumptions that tend to get in our way of listening well. Oscar highlights distinctions that will be useful mindsets for you in showing up better in future conversations. Plus, we discuss how listing goes far beyond simply asking questions. Key Points Before we begin listening, it is helpful to tune…much like as orchestra. We can’t always give our full attention, but we can make the choice as to whether we are paying attention or giving attention. As much as we intend otherwise, sometimes we listen less well in our closest relationships. Aim to be curious instead of drawing conclusions. Asking questions does not necessarily mean you are listening well. Aimless and arbitrary questions are everywhere. Resources Mentioned How to Listen: Discover the Hidden Key to Better Communication* by Oscar Trimboli Interview Notes Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes The Way to Be More Coach-Like, with Michael Bungay Stanier (episode 458) Four Habits That Derail Listening, with Oscar Trimboli (episode 500) How to Genuinely Show Up for Others, with Marshall Goldsmith (episode 590) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

597: How to Help People Speak Truth to Power, with Megan Reitz Oct 03, 2022

Show notes

Megan Reitz: Speak Up Megan Reitz is Professor of Leadership and Dialogue at Hult International Business School where she speaks, researches, consults and supervises on the intersection of leadership, change, dialogue and mindfulness. She is on the Thinkers50 ranking of global business thinkers and is ranked in HR Magazine’s Most Influential Thinkers listing. She has written Dialogue in Organizations and Mind Time. She is a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review and her research has recently featured in Forbes, on the BBC, in TEDx talks, and in numerous academic and practice-based journals. Her latest research on employee activism was nominated for the Thinkers50 Breakthrough Idea Award. Her most recent book with John Higgins is titled Speak Up: Say What Needs to Be Said and Hear What Needs to Be Heard*. Many leaders consider what they need to do in order to speak truth to others, but rarely focus on how to make it easier for people to speak to them. In this conversation, Megan and I explore what leaders can do in order to hear what needs to be heard. We share several tactics that will make it easier for others to surface what you need to hear. Key Points Speaking up and listening up go hand in hand. Power always affects what gets said and what gets heard. A key checkpoint is whether or not you really value the opinion of others. Where you have conversations can make a massive difference on how comfortable the other party is in surfacing an important message for you to hear. Leaders who have margin in their daily schedules create space for the right moment to hear truth. Proactively invite challenge and debate through specific invitations. One example: “What do you know that I need to know, but will never be told?” Resources Mentioned Speak Up: Say What Needs to Be Said and Hear What Needs to Be Heard* by Megan Reitz and John Higgins Interview Notes Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes How to Ask Better Questions, with David Marquet (episode 454) How to Speak Up, with Connson Locke (episode 546) How to Use Power Responsibly, with Vanessa Bohns (episode 551) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

596: The Ways Leadership Can Derail Us, with Bill George Sep 26, 2022

Show notes

Bill George: True North Bill George is executive fellow at Harvard Business School, where he has taught leadership since 2004. He is the author of four best-selling books: Authentic Leadership, True North, Discover Your True North, and 7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis. He was chair and CEO of Medtronic, the world’s leading medical technology company. Under his leadership, Medtronic’s market capitalization grew from $1.1 billion to $60 billion, averaging 35 percent a year. Bill has served as a director of Goldman Sachs, ExxonMobil, Novartis, Target, the Mayo Clinic, and World Economic Forum USA. He has been named one of the Top 25 Business Leaders of the Past 25 Years by PBS, Executive of the Year by Academy of Management, and Director of the Year by National Association of Corporate Directors. He is the author with Zach Clayton of True North: Leading Authentically in Today's Workplace, Emerging Leader Edition*. We’ve all seen leadership go badly and most of us struggle with tendencies to get pulled off course. In this conversation, Bill and I explore the five most common archetypes that tend to derail leaders and the antidote that prevents them. We also discuss how we can recognize these tendencies in ourselves so that we can do better for others. Key Points Five archetypes of leadership derailment: Imposters: political animals who figure out who their competitors and then eliminate them. Rationalizers: masters of denial who don’t take responsibility themselves. Glory seekers: motivated by the acclaim of the world. Loners: they believe they can make it on their own and reject feedback. Shooting stars: they build shallow foundations and move on quickly to the next things, often avoiding commitment. Antidotes to leadership derailment: Write down the most difficult ethical dilemma you are currently facing and chronicle the “least generous” interpretation of your actions. Project forward a decade and assume the worst: you have derailed in a major failure. Envision the situation in which you could lose your way. Resources Mentioned True North: Leading Authentically in Today's Workplace, Emerging Leader Edition* by Bill George and Zach Clayton Interview Notes Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes Discover Your True North, with Bill George (episode 225) Leadership Lies We Tell Ourselves, with Emily Leathers (episode 479) How to Help Your Manager Shine, with David Gergen (episode 588) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

595: How to Deal With Passive-Aggressive People, Amy Gallo Sep 19, 2022

Show notes

Amy Gallo: Getting Along Amy Gallo is an expert in conflict, communication, and workplace dynamics. She combines the latest management research with practical advice to deliver evidence-based ideas on how to improve relationships and excel at work. In her role as a contributing editor at Harvard Business Review, Amy writes about interpersonal dynamics, communicating ideas, leading and influencing people, and building your career. Amy is co-host of HBR's Women at Work podcast and author of both the HBR Guide to Dealing with Conflict and Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People)*. In this conversation, Amy and I discuss one of the most common questions she receives from leaders: how do I handle a colleague who’s passive aggressive? We examine what causes this behavior, how to respond to it, and what to avoid that could worsen the relationship. Plus, we discuss the intention that leaders can bring in responding to passive-aggressive behavior that will help everybody move forward. Key Points Don’t use the “passive-aggressive behavior” to label someone. It rarely helps and often results in more defensiveness. Focus on the other person’s underlying concern or question rather than how they are expressing it. Not everyone is able to discuss thoughts and feelings openly. Consider doing hypothesis testing to determine what’s next. Language like, “Here’s the story I’m telling myself…” can help everyone move forward without assigning blame. When making a direct request, stick to the facts. Review past behavior like you’re a referee vs. a fan. Artificial harmony is a danger spot for teams and leaders. Setting norms can help to reduce passive-aggressive behavior. Resources Mentioned Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People)* by Amy Gallo Interview Notes Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes The Way to Have Conversations That Matter, with Celeste Headlee (episode 344) Four Habits That Derail Listening, with Oscar Trimboli (episode 500) How to Prepare for Conflict, with Amy Gallo (episode 530) The Way to Get People Talking, with Andrew Warner (episode 560) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

594: How to Begin Difficult Conversations About Race, with Kwame Christian Sep 12, 2022

Show notes

Kwame Christian: How to Have Difficult Conversations About Race Kwame Christian is a best-selling author, lawyer, professor, and the Managing Director of the American Negotiation Institute. He has conducted countless specialized trainings worldwide and is a highly sought after keynote speaker. His best-selling book, Finding Confidence in Conflict has helped countless individuals overcome the fear, anxiety, and emotion associated with difficult conversations. The book was inspired by Kwame’s TED Talk with the same name that has over 250,000 views. He’s also host of the Negotiate Anything Podcast, the most popular negotiation podcast in the world. Kwame was the recipient of the John Glenn College of Public Affairs Young Alumni Achievement Award in 2020 and the Moritz College of Law Outstanding Recent Alumnus Award 2021. Additionally, Kwame is a business lawyer at Carlile, Patchen & Murphy LLP and serves a professor for The Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law in its top-ranked dispute resolution program and Otterbein University’s MBA program. He is also a Contributor for Forbes and his LinkedIn Learning course, How to Be Both Likable And Assertive, was the most popular course on the platform in July of 2021. He is the author of How to Have Difficult Conversations About Race: Practical Tools for Necessary Change in the Workplace and Beyond*. In this conversation, Kwame and I discuss how to begin a difficult conversation about race. We explore the key questions that each of us should ask ourselves so that we can determine in advance what we want to gain from a tough conversation. Finally, we look at the three critical things to say in the first 30 seconds that will help you start an important conversation that helps everybody move forward. Key Points It's hard for someone else to appreciate how much of a person's identity affects every other area of their lives until you've lived it. People explain away racism because they don’t like it and don’t want it to be true. Whether you think a conversation is about race or not, if it’s about race for the other person then you’re having a conversation about race. There questions to ask yourself before a conversation: What do I hope to accomplish in this conversation? Given what I know about them and the situation, what is likely to be their goal? What are three questions I can ask them that will help me to understand their position? Use situation, impact, and invitation as the starting point for a difficult conversation. Usually this is less than 30 seconds. “Naked facts” reduce the likelihood that someone will dispute the premise of what you are addressing. Resources Mentioned How to Have Difficult Conversations About Race: Practical Tools for Necessary Change in the Workplace and Beyond* by Kwame Christian Negotiate Anything podcast Interview Notes Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes The Way Into Difficult Conversations, with Kwame Christian (episode 497) How to Reduce Bias in Feedback, with Therese Huston (episode 510) The Way Managers Can be Champions for Justice, with Minda Harts (episode 552) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

593: How to Start Finding Useful Stories, with David Hutchens Sep 05, 2022

Show notes

David Hutchens: Story Dash David Hutchens helps leaders find and tell their stories. He works with leaders around the world to find, craft, and tell their most urgent stories for the purpose of creating shared meaning, preserving culture, disseminating learning, and speeding change in organizations. He has taught the Storytelling Leader program at some of the most influential organizations — and he’s written many books, including the Circle of the 9 Muses and The Leadership Story Deck. He is the co-creator with longtime friend of the show Susan Gerke of the GO Team program. He's also the author of the new book, Story Dash: Find, Develop, and Activate Your Most Valuable Business Stories…In Just a Few Hours. In this conversation, David and I discuss how to find stories that you can use in your organization. We reflect on the reality that we both hear many leaders say to us: “How do I find the right stories?” David then shares the key principles and steps that every leader can take to surface and curate the best stories. Key Points The “Us At Our Best” taxonomy is what it looks like when are are delivering with energy and excellence. A recent Southwest Airlines story is an example of this. Find the area the area of your work where you need to influence the emotional system. Trust stories about small moments. Don’t attempt to create an epic drama of huge importance. The best stories are individual incidents that send a bigger message. Formal story mining can be done alone or as team building. Institutionalizing practices like story sharing can help this happen regularly and naturally. When informally collecting stories, listen for time, place, and person as signals that a story is beginning. Resources Mentioned Download a free set of Story Deck cards or… Reach out to David directly at david@davidhutchens.com for more free resources Purchase the full set of Leadership Story Deck by David Hutchens Related Episodes How to Create an Unstoppable Culture, with Ginger Hardage (episode 350) Three Stories to Tell During Uncertainty, with David Hutchens (episode 486) The Way to Earn Attention, with Raja Rajamannar (episode 521) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

592: How to Change the Way You Think, with Ari Weinzweig Aug 29, 2022

Show notes

Ari Weinzweig: A Lapsed Anarchist’s Approach to The Power of Beliefs in Business In 1982, Ari, along with his partner Paul Saginaw, founded Zingerman’s Delicatessen with a $20,000 bank loan, a Russian History degree from the University of Michigan, 4 years of experience washing dishes, cooking, and managing in restaurant kitchens and chutzpah from his hometown of Chicago. Today, Zingerman’s Delicatessen is a nationally renowned food icon and the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses has grown to 10 businesses with over 750 employees and over $55 million in annual revenue. Besides being the Co-Founding Partner and being actively engaged in some aspect of the day-to-day operations and governance of nearly every business in the Zingerman’s Community, Ari is also a prolific writer. His most recent publications are the first 4 of his 6 book series Zingerman’s Guide to Good Leading, including A Lapsed Anarchist’s Approach to The Power of Beliefs in Business. In this conversation, Ari and I explore how the power of our beliefs show up in virtually every one of our daily actions. We examine how to begin looking at what isn’t working and how to start examining our beliefs. When those beliefs aren’t working, Ari shares several, critical steps we can take to begin to change our thinking. Key Points Our beliefs, many of which we may not be consciously aware of, are often calling the shots in our daily actions and behaviors. Start examining a belief by picking a current problem to address. Listen carefully to your internal voices to identify the language showing up. Notice places especially where you frame things as facts, certitudes, thoughts, theories, norms, shoulds, and should nots. Examine how you came to the beliefs that you uncover. Then, confront your cannons. Change now, find facts later. Most people do that the opposite way. Resources Mentioned A Lapsed Anarchist's Approach to the Power of Beliefs in Business by Ari Weinzweig Humility: A Humble, Anarchistic Inquiry by Ari Weinzweig Schein On, You Crazy Diamond by Ari Weinzweig Interview Notes Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes The Path of Humble Leadership, with Edgar Schein and Peter Schein (episode 363) How to Help People Engage in Growth, with Whitney Johnson (episode 576) Help People Show Up as Themselves, with Frederic Laloux (episode 580) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

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