Michael Bungay Stanier on Teaching, Coaching, and Becoming a Writer

Michael Bungay Stanier helps people know they’re awesome and they’re doing great. He’s best known for The Coaching Habit, the best-selling coaching book of the century and already recognized as a classic. His new book, How to Work with (Almost) Anyone, does what it says on the label. Michael was a Rhodes Scholar and dabbles in the ukulele. He’s Australian, and lives in Toronto, Canada.

Michael had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include:

“There is one part of me that suffers from S.O.S: Shiny Object Syndrome” (9:45).

“I’m good at generating ideas” (10:05).

“I don’t want to be fenced in” (10:20).

“Inspiration is when your past suddenly makes sense” (10:40).

“We unlock our greatness by working on the hard stuff” (11:10).

“I am good creating, and specifically making complicated stuff feel more accessible and practical for people” (18:25).

“I’m good at turning complicated concepts into something people can grasp” (19:05).

“I think it is a choice and a deliberate act to try and stay creative” (23:50).

“I know I have a lot of bad ideas” (28:40).

“You should work under the assumption that most of your ideas aren’t great” (30:10).

“Just putting ideas out into the world is part of the process of getting closer to a good idea” (30:20).

“If you have bad ideas, it means you’re good at ideas because good ideas emerge from conversations of bad ideas” (32:10).

“If you’re getting 60% of the hard decisions right, you are rocking it” (34:00).

“Keep noticing the stuff you should be grateful for” (38:55).

“Part of being a writer is being a great reader” (41:45).

“Writing is the most distinctive expression of me as a teacher” (44:20).

“I have come to know a fair number of people, but I don’t really know many people at all” (56:35).

“For me, the best possible relationship is when it is safe, when it is vital, and also repairable” (1:04:55).

“Talk about how you’ll work together before you talk about what you’ll work on” (1:05:20).

Additionally, you can find Michael’s website here, and also connect with him on Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. You can also purchase Michael’s books, The Coaching Habit; The Advice Trap; How to Begin; and How to Work with (Almost) Anyone anywhere books are sold. Lastly, if you’d like to personally reach out to Michael, you can send him an email (teammbs@mbs.works).

Thank you so much to Michael for coming on the podcast!

I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers.

Thanks for listening.