Coaching for Leaders

David Marquet, former captain of the USS Santa Fe, discusses his journey from leading the worst-performing ship to the best by empowering his crew. He emphasizes that great leaders avoid giving orders, allowing their team to take initiative. Marquet highlights the importance of decision-making authority for employee engagement and how treating people like leaders fosters more leaders. He also shares insights on embracing uncertainty and the transformative power of actions over thoughts in leadership development.

Andy Kaufman: People and Projects podcast Andy Kaufman is the host of the People and Projects podcast and an expert on project management. He joins me in this conversation to explore how to influence a large number of stakeholders. Quotes If we’re honest here, there are some stakeholders that we don’t even want to involve … Even for the difficult people, we have to find a way to involve them. It helps manage their expectations, and it helps manage our expectations. —Andy Kaufman Hope is not a good strategy. Hope is a wonderful thing for mankind, but it’s a terrible thing for projects. —Andy Kaufman If I don’t sufficiently think through who I’m impacting, or who could impact us, I’m not going to manage their expectations. —Andy Kaufman I mistake keeping someone informed for keeping them satisfied. —Andy Kaufman Listen to the other person’s story so well that you can say it as well as them. —Donny Ebenstein Resources Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader* by Herminia Ibarra I Hear You: Repair Communication Breakdowns, Negotiate Successfully, and Build Consensus...in Three Simple Steps* by Donny Ebenstein Essentials of Project Management by Andy Kaufman (use coupon code coachingforleaders-50) Advanced Project Management by Andy Kaufman (use coupon code coachingforleaders-50) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed Bonni is the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, Dean of Teaching and Learning and Professor of Business and Management at Vanguard University, and my life partner. Prior to her academic career, she was a human resources consultant and executive officer for a publicly traded company. Bonni is the author of The Productive Online and Offline Professor: A Practical Guide*. Question from Daniel I have been facing a hard/stressing moment with a specific guy from my team and it's not been an easy situation to handle. The rest of the team are always complaining about this guy, they don’t trust on the guy opinions. I asked the team to try to have some informal conversations (on the lunch for example), and I also tried to give some advice to the guy, but the situation still the same, and sometimes I fell it is getting worse. It is really consuming a lot of energy from my side on trying to fix the situation, and I have been feeling quite depressed with all of it... Mentioned: Love is the Killer App* by Tim Sanders Question from Wendy You are so wonderful. I have been listening to your podcast for about 2 years now. It has helped me to grow and become a better leader. One thing that I struggle with as a leader is that push back when I try to encourage someone to learn something new especially the employees that feel like they just don’t have the time. I sense that at times the group that I lead will be a little afraid of any change. I also wonder sometimes if I may be pushing too much change too fast. Question from Anthony I also run a newly established monthly alumni meeting. Part of my role is securing speakers to discuss topics business leaders face day-to-day. Since we don't have a budget to compensate the speaker what we can give in exchange is access to our cohort members. Unfortunately, I have NO experience in such a role. Any guidance or possible suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Question from Sariah I am exploring the prospect of becoming a Leadership Coach. Currently I work as the head of a division in a large company. I have always had an interest in teaching and coaching. While I have never taught (consistently) in a classroom as part of a school or organization, I have done a bit of training at work with my Marketing team. More specifically, I find that as I am getting older, I pride myself on working with others in particular the younger persons at the office. I have been listening to all of the back issues of your podcast and have been learning so much and as a result I think this area may be for me. I am not sure where to start thus the inquiry with you. Mentioned: How to Improve Your Coaching Skills, with Tom Henschel (episode 190) These Coaching Questions Get Results, with Michael Bungay Stanier (episode 237) Question from Tom I was wondering if you can recommend a source; book, website, blog, etc...for changing organizational culture. I work for a major university which is great, but being part of a bureaucracy has it problems. I would like to find a way to change the culture to a positive one. Thank you in advance for any help you may be able to provide. Mentioned: Organizational Culture and Leadership* by Edgar Schein Transitions* by William Bridges Managing Transitions* by William Bridges The Way of Transition* by William Bridges The Fifth Discipline* by Peter Senge Leading Change* by John Kotter Our Iceberg is Melting* by John Kotter Reframing Organizations* by Lee Bolman Terrence Deal Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Adam Grant: Originals Adam Grant, author of Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World*, helps us examine what the research says on how people create something new -- and how we can use those lessons in our own careers. Procrastination is a vice for productivity, a virtue for creativity. —Adam Grant Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Michael Bungay Stanier: The Coaching Habit Michael is the bestselling author of The Coaching Habit*. In this episode, he teaches us the key coaching questions to help others improve. Quotes I think there are as many definitions for coaching as there are people selling coaching. —Michael Bungay Stanier Slow down on the advice giving, and stay curious just a little bit longer. —Michael Bungay Stanier That’s part of the nature of a system; as soon you start changing stuff, it starts pushing back. —Michael Bungay Stanier Your organization is a system, and the very nature of a system is to love its own system. —Michael Bungay Stanier You want people to become lazy coaches … lazy because you want the other person to be doing the work. When they’re doing the work, they’re actually unlocking their own potential … you’re helping them to learn, rather than teaching them. —Michael Bungay Stanier We’re all okay with saying no to the stuff we don’t really want to do, but do we have the courage and discipline to say no to the stuff we do want to do? —Michael Bungay Stanier Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Sydney Finkelstein: Superbosses Sydney Finkelstein, author of Superbosses: How Exceptional Leaders Master the Flow of Talent*, shows us how leaders can elevate their view of talent to benefit an entire organization -- and industry. Quotes A superboss is a boss who helps other people accomplish more than they ever thought possible. —Sydney Finkelstein When you help other people get better on your team … the payoff to you is exponential, because you’re now surrounded by superstars. —Sydney Finkelstein Superbosses will regularly create a job for a person when they didn’t even have the job open in the first place … wherever they go, they’re on the lookout for great talent. —Sydney Finkelstein Superbosses are not afraid of making a bad hire. —Sydney Finkelstein Superbosses are always looking for talent that is the absolute best, and and they know they need to look in places that the average person isn’t. —Sydney Finkelstein Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed Bonni is the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, Dean of Teaching and Learning and Professor of Business and Management at Vanguard University, and my life partner. Prior to her academic career, she was a human resources consultant and executive officer for a publicly traded company. Bonni is the author of The Productive Online and Offline Professor: A Practical Guide*. Question from Beth I have arthritis. It’s not severe, but after a wrist surgery there are things I can’t do. I had a team of 2 or 3 people and after the surgery I could perceive that my colleagues felt that workload was not equal towards the junior consultants and me. After many conflicts with the junior consultants, I decided to quit the job because I didn’t get the support of the office leader, and people in the office perceived I was taking advantage of my health situation. I have a new job and wouldn’t like that this problem to ever repeat. How can I assume leadership when I have this situation in my hands, how can I learn to delegate work without making people think that I’m over loading them. How can I have a strong position when I have health issues that don’t allow me to do some work? Question from Allison I had a question for a friend's situation. She has been a medical assistant for over a decade. The last 3 years she's been acting in a care coordinator capacity (i.e. non-clinical). Would you be able to provide advice for someone whose job title does not reflect the person's experience and capabilities? She is hoping to move into project management, but no one is willing to interview because of her title which implies only clinical experience. She has a graduate degree in healthcare management. How to Know Your Life Purpose in 5 Minutes by Adam Leipzig How to Get Value From Associations, with John Corcoran (episode 209) Question from Andrew What are your suggestions for how to plan out and use presentation software — or just lay out and plan a presentation in general. In the context of a business presentation, more than “from the stage.” How to Build a Good Presentation (episode 38) Practical Storytelling That Isn’t Awkward, with David Hutchens (episode 228) Piktochart What we’re doing for our own professional development: The Power of Habit* by Charles Duhigg The Automatic Customer* by John Warrillow Youtility* by Jay Baer Due app Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Hassan Osman: Influencing Virtual Teams Key Points To avoid the bystander effect: Use direct language Assign to individuals, not to groups A lot of small to medium businesses ... tend to already be in the virtual team space without even knowing it. –Hassan Osman Anything that’s in writing usually carries a much more authoritative message. –Hassan Osman Resources Influencing Virtual Teams by Hassan Osman The War of Art* by Steven Pressfield Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Learn how to achieve focused success in a distracted world with Cal Newport's rules for Deep Work. Train your brain to focus, set aside time for deep work, and make a move to signal your commitment to concentration. Discover the value of deep work in a competitive economy and explore practical strategies for prioritizing intense focus.

Tara Mohr: Playing Big Tara Mohr is an expert on women’s leadership and well-being. She is the author of Playing Big: Practical Wisdom for Women Who Want to Speak Up, Create, and Lead*, named a best book of the year by Apple’s iBooks. Tara is the creator and teacher of the global Playing Big leadership program for women, and of the Playing Big Facilitators Training for coaches, therapists, managers, and mentors. Your worst critic is probably yourself. In this conversation, Tara joins Dave to show you how to tame your inner critic. Actions to overcome your inner critic Write down your inner critic’s most commonly voiced lines. Create a character that suits your inner critic’s voice, and then picture it when you hear the voice. Look at the voice with compassion, trying to understand what your safety instinct is afraid of. Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.