** Watch our engaging discussion on video, HERE: https://www.youtube.com/@97PercentEffective **

Learn more about Michael Wenderoth, Executive Coach: www.changwenderoth.com

Feeling stuck with a challenge at work, or in advancing your career? In this episode of 97% Effective, we discuss proven, effective ways to creatively solve problems, innovate – and advance. Host Michael Wenderoth interviews Rich Braden and Dr. Tessa Forshaw, authors of Innovation-ish: How Anyone Can Create Breakthrough Solutions to Real Problems in the Real World. They discuss why your mindset is more important than process, why to aim for “roof-shots” instead of moonshots, and how their book helps ordinary people overcome “innovation hesitation.” By the end of this episode, you’ll not only want to read their book – you’ll leave with a better understanding of the science of how we learn, powerful mental reframes, and practical tips to get unstuck. Rich, a design strategist and the CEO of People Rocket, and Tessa, a cognitive scientist and co-founder of the Next Level Lab at Harvard, have served as design educators for years at Stanford and Harvard, and have helped leading companies and non-profits creatively solve their most vexing challenges to unlock growth.

SHOW NOTES:

• Why Rich and Tessa wrote their book – and chose the word “Innovation-ish”
• The problem with a “process focus” to innovation
• “If you’ve ever been to Costco..” (Tessa explains Mindset)
• How mindsets translate into “Moves”
• Forward movement in action: The science of why your moves need to be bite-sized
• Kids vs adults: How adults can tap into their vast experiences to become more creative
• Michael’s observations comparing coaching to Rich and Tessa’s work
• “Explore before Explain” - Why and how Tessa and Rich flipped how they teach
• Tessa on “Learning needs to be effortful”
• Rich explains “Innovation is not hard. But it is hard work”
• You’ve got moves inside that are Innovation-ish: How one student used “family system mapping” from her therapist training in powerful new ways
• You’ve got insights that will help you navigate power & politics: How Michael’s clients apply their own skills
• Roofshots over Moonshots
• Framestorming: Are we even looking at the right problem?
• “Solutions are baked into the frame of the problem” – Tina Seelig
• Tessa’s hard truth: “You can’t stop your biases, but you can set up structures and processes to counteract them”
• Tessa explains in plain (Aussie) English the $5 word “metacognition”: Thinking about Thinking vs Recounting
• Why wore Michael wore airplane cufflinks for this interview
• Lightning round: Can AI replace human creativity; Biggest influence; Their “go to” technique to get themselves unstuck; Tips on how to make sure your teenage kids stay creative

 

BIO AND LINKS:

Dr Tessa Forshaw and Rich Braden are the authors of Innovation-ish: How Anyone Can Create Breakthrough Solutions to Real Problems in the Real World. Rich is a design strategist and CEO of People Rocket, based in Silicon Valley. Tessa Forshaw, PhD, is a cognitive scientist and co-founder of the Next Level Lab at Harvard University. Both have served as design educators for years at Stanford and Harvard, worked for leading innovation consultances including IDEO and Accenture, and in their private consulting have helped leading companies and non-profits including Coke, Airbnb and the Native American Community Clinic in Minnesota, USA. Their mission is to help everday people untap their creative potential – and become more confident, and innovation-ish.

• Watch our engaging interview on video: https://www.youtube.com/@97PercentEffective
• Innovation-ish the Book: https://www.innovationish.com
• Rich Braden on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardcoxbraden/
• Tessa Forshaw on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessaforshaw/
• People Rocket: https://www.peoplerocket.com
• “Exploration before Explanation” explained: https://tinyurl.com/5xuwcc8p
• “Think Roof Shot, Not Moonshot” (an interview with Tessa in Harvard’s Graduate School of Education): https://tinyurl.com/hszp2zva
• How What Got You Here WILL GET YOU THERE (the power of “tapping your past”) - EP #83 on 97% Effective: https://tinyurl.com/2d6np2ku
• Rich’s reference to an interview with Axel Ohrstrom on 97% EFFECTIVE (EP #91: How to Start Your Career Off Right”): https://tinyurl.com/5bweydfh
• “You’re not even looking at the problem” – most memorable movie moment with Brad Pitt in Moneyball [4 min watch]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krZVcOMTR98
• The amazing Prof Tina Seelig: https://profiles.stanford.edu/tina-seelig
• Tessa’s a-ha moment: Reading Prof. Roy Pea’s paper on distributed intelligence and designs for education: https://telearn.hal.science/hal-00190571/document
• Rich’s a-ha moment: BATS Improv https://www.improv.org
• Michael’s a-ha moment: Reading Six Thinking Hats by Edward de Bono (and yes, he lives on!): https://a.co/d/f5qAgxI
• How Constraints Move us Forward -- and stimulate creativity (Forbes): https://tinyurl.com/ywap8fzm
• Antoinette Portis’s delightful book for all of us (not just kids), Not a Box: https://www.antoinetteportis.com/not-a-box/
• Michael’s Multi-Award-Winning book, Get Promoted: What You’re Really Missing at Work That’s Holding You Back https://tinyurl.com/453txk74

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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Enjoy your summer with this “BEST OF 97% EFFECTIVE” EPISODE! Tune in this fall for new episodes and more great content.

Learn more about Michael Wenderoth, Executive Coach: www.changwenderoth.com

SHOW NOTES:

Giselle Timmerman, founder of Positive Work, was one of the first 30 people in the world to study with Professor Martin Seligman, the founder of positive psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. In this episode, Giselle shares how she applies the science to help leaders and organizations unleash the power of their teams and reach new heights.

• The visual metaphor of Los Castellers
• Positional and personal power
• How research on subjective well-being led to Giselle’s leap
• Core tenets of positive psychology
• How positive psychology gets misinterpreted and misapplied
• The Happiness Advantage (Department of Defense study)
• Audit your well-being to determine where to take action: Using Seligman’s framework on flourishing, PERMA
• How much influence can we have on our own well-being at work?
• “I’m doing all the right things but not getting promoted” – Two areas you might really be missing.
• Example of trying new tactics to achieve your goal
• Positive manipulation
• Expanding how we think about our strengths
• How to manage our weaknesses (one of which may be your strength)
• Setting tripwires, and becoming more self-aware
• “The bridge of your nose”: How to find your positive blindspots
• “Micro-moments”
• Why we have so many screwed-up organizations
• What Europeans may be more attuned to at work compared to Americans
• Research on “Positive energizers”
• The Power of Inquiry to be more influential: 3 underused practices

 

BIO AND LINKS:

Giselle Timmerman is the Founder of Positive Work. For the past 17 years, she has been partnering with clients, from founders to Fortune 500 teams, to build stronger leadership and team cultures for greater engagement and competitive performance. She holds a Bachelor's from NYU and a Master's in Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) from the University of Pennsylvania.

• Giselle on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/giselletimmerman/?originalSubdomain=es
• Positive Work: https://www.positivework.com/
• Castell tradition: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castell
• Ed Diener’s research: The Science of Subjective Well-Being
• Michael’s HBR article: Great Leaders Embrace Office Politics
• Scott Donaldson’s Meta-analysis: The Effectiveness of Positive Psychology Interventions
• MIT Sloan: Department of Defense Happiness study
• Martin Seligman’s framework: PERMA
• Study from Emotion Journal: Awe walks promote prosocial positive emotions in older adults
• Stephen Covey’s theory: Emotional Bank Account
• University of Michigan: Center for Positive Organizations
• Kim Cameron’s book: Positively Energizing Leadership
• Rob Cross research: What Creates Energy in Organizations?
• Zoe Chance’s article: The Secret To Influence: Ask The Magic Question
• Michael’s Award-winning Book, Get Promoted: https://a.co/d/2oRmqF4

 

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Enjoy your summer with this “BEST OF 97% EFFECTIVE” EPISODE! Tune in this fall for new episodes and more great content.

 Learn more about Michael Wenderoth, Executive Coach: www.changwenderoth.com

SHOW NOTES:

Peter Belmi, Professor at the Darden School of Business at University of Virginia, studies power, social class and inequality. We discussed how the beliefs we hold about ourselves – many formed by our class background – can perpetuate social inequality. We look at how the world and organizations are not a fair place, but where we the power to do something about that.

SHOW NOTES

• Embrace new things: Peter on Filipino food and Hamilton
• Peter’s research in one sentence and why he focuses on inequality
• How your social class can shape what you view as a “good person” – and how that impacts what you will and won’t do in organizations
• The conundrum: Why people from working class backgrounds may make better leaders – but often don’t get into those positions
• The reframe: how re-thinking behaviors that feel “icky” can benefit us
• Million $ question: So… how should I show up at my meeting next week?
• Before you seek power, you need to first ask this critical question!
• Think about power in a different way to “keep yourself in the game”
• Ends vs means, and how to ensure you don’t get lost in the journey
• Does power corrupt?
• The value of “structured introspection” with a coach
• The biggest barrier people have with power
• “Give yourself a shot” – agency, when you should opt out
• Leading with vulnerability without having it get used against you - “Being situationally appropriate” and “Powering up and powering down”
• Do we have a real self? Why U.S students often push back on the idea of “playing roles”
• How one student “created something out of nothing” to land the job she wanted (power skills in action)
• Personal qualities, positioning yourself strategically and relationship management
• How to Get Promoted: “Your job is to find the right people and get them excited about you.”
• How a controversial fashion blogger will piss you off – but can teach you about crafting a path to power (Peter’s Bryanboy case study)
• Meta-lesson: How being judgmental causes us to stop learning – and holds us back from building power

 

BIO AND SHOW LINKS:

Peter Belmi is the Scott C. Beardsley Associate Professor of Business Administration at the Darden School of Business. His scholarship on the psychology of inequality has received numerous awards, and he was named one of the "30 emerging thinkers with the potential to make lasting contributions to management theory and practice" (Thinkers50). In 2018, Peter was named by Poets & Quants as one of the "40 Best Business Professors Under 40" and received the University of Virginia's Mead-Colley Award, a distinction given to the professor who embodies the Jeffersonian vision of an ideal teacher. Peter's work is published in leading psychology and management journals, and also been featured by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and across the popular press.

 

• Email: BelmiP [at] darden.virginia.edu
• Peter’s profile: https://www.darden.virginia.edu/faculty-research/directory/peter-belmi
• Peter’s research on social class and confidence: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31107052/
• Cited research: Kraus, Cote & Keltner on Social Class and Empathic Accuracy https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797610387613
• Peter and Melissa Thomas-Hunt’s exercise “Leading with Vulnerability” http://store.darden.virginia.edu/leading-with-vulnerability
• Deb Gruenfeld: “Power up, Power down” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-skBaZ9o5vg
• Peter’s Bryanboy case study: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2974849
• Michael’s Award-winning Book, Get Promoted: https://a.co/d/2oRmqF4

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Enjoy your summer with this “BEST OF 97% EFFECTIVE” EPISODE! Tune in this fall for new episodes and more great content.

Learn more about Michael Wenderoth, Executive Coach: www.changwenderoth.com

SHOW NOTES:

Chris Fenning is a highly-sought after trainer and the award winning author of The First Minute: How to Start Conversations That Get Results. We walk through before-after examples, showing how to structure your business communication for maximum impact. The hard truth is that poor communication is one of the top reasons people don't get promoted.

• Concise communication matters, but what most training courses fail to do
• Why Chris left a fantastic career to help people with business communication
• Factoid: Chris did this feat at 17…
• Chris critiques -- and improves –Michael’s 15 second intro
• Why the first minute is key.
• Before vs after example: Context-Intent-Key Message framework in action
• How to build the concise communication habit
• Don’t bury the lede!
• Tips when sending emails and meeting invites
• Being Concise vs Being Blunt
• Using “GPS” in your first minute, with an example that boils 20 minutes into 3 lines
• Overcoming “the curse of knowledge”
• More tips on how to quickly make the framework a habit
• How things differ cross-culturally
• Will these techniques reverse poor first impressions you may have already created?
• 3 ways you can tell boss they are a bad communicator … without getting in hot water

 

BIO AND LINKS:

Chris Fenning is on a mission to help Technical and Business teams communicate clearly and remove the pain they experience so often. His 4x award winning book, The First Minute, shows you the HOW to be concise, step by step, drawing from 20,000 conversations, decades of work leading technical and business teams across the world, and training individuals and teams from start-ups to Fortune 50 companies.

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-fenning/
• Chris’s Website & His Book www.chrisfenning.com
• Chris’s Best Giveaway (Free First Minute Workbook, $30 value): https://chrisfenning.com/get-the-first-minute-workbook-free/
• Erin Myer’s Book, The Culture Map: https://erinmeyer.com/books/the-culture-map/
• Michael’s Award-winning Book, Get Promoted: https://a.co/d/2oRmqF4

 

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Learn more about Michael Wenderoth, Executive Coach: www.changwenderoth.com

**EPISODE best watched on the 97% Effective YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@97PercentEffective **

Ever been told you need to develop your “gravitas,” and then given no explanation of what that means -- or how you improve it? In this episode of 97% Effective, host Michael Wenderoth interviews Beena Kavalam, executive coach, founder of Gravitas360 Consulting and “Indian Jersey girl.” They discuss what gravitas is, how it differs from executive presence, and offer practical techniques that will help you own the room and elevate how you are seen at work. Beena offers specific tips for women and people of color, and how to increase your gravitas in virtual environments. Start this episode by taking Beena’s “Grade your Gravitas” self-assessment, then listen (and watch!) their wide-ranging conversation – and you’ll put yourself on the path to dramatically grow your gravitas.

SHOW NOTES:

• Beena’s backstory: Why she focuses on gravitas and her mission to change one million lives
• Grade your Gravitas with Beena’s self-assessment (link below)
• What is gravitas, why it’s important and Beena’s 4 C’s of gravitas
• How Gravitas differs from Executive Presence
• One size does not fit all: Examples of diverse leaders with gravitas
• The two biggest myths people have when it comes gravitas
• Thinking in terms of “the gravitas gradient” and dialing it up or down
• Getting practical: key steps to improving your gravitas
• Ways to shift from negative to positive self talk, but still leads you to “put in the work”
• Using the 4-7-8 technique to calm yourself and increase your emotional steadiness
• 3 Practical Techniques: The “power of the pause,” bottom lining and focusing on 2-3 supporting points
• Practice! And how to talk to yourself to reinforce positive neural pathways
• Speaking on the fly and navigating “impromptu” situations when you are put on the spot
• Powerful tips on building gravitas in virtual environments: Camera on, leaning in, standing up and Beena the bio major geeks out on “ventral fronting”
• Michael recommends you find 2-3 people you know how can assess you with Beena’s “Grade your Gravitas” tool
• What’s different for women and people of color when it comes to gravitas: “Don't shrink – be direct, but add empathy”
• “Indian Jersey Girl” explained

 

BIO AND LINKS:

Beena Kavalam is an executive coach and leadership consultant who helps high-performing leaders grow their gravitas, strengthen their executive presence, and lead with influence in today’s complex business environments. As the founder of Gravitas360 Consulting, she has coached hundreds of leaders across Fortune 500 companies, emerging startups, and mission-driven organizations. Her work focuses on helping leaders become visible, credible, and impactful — without compromising who they are.

• Watch this episode on video: https://www.youtube.com/@97PercentEffective
• Beena’s “Grade your Gravitas” self-assessment: https://gravitas360consulting.kit.com/gravitasquiz
• Beena on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beenakavalam/
• Beena’s Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/BeenaKavalam
• Beena’s website: www.gravitas360.com
• Positive Intelligence: https://www.positiveintelligence.com
• When “positive self-talk” works – and when It doesn’t! Summary of the research by Professor Don Moore @ Haas School of Business EP#38 “How to Be Perfectly Confident” on 97% Effective: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/97-effective/id1646325886?i=1000615107188
• “The Power of Improv to Elevate your Communication, Clarity and Connection” EP#118 with Kesinee Yip & Kevin Weinstein on 97% Effective https://tinyurl.com/59z9f46k
• Research: Why having your camera on signals engagement and increases how others see you as a leader: https://tinyurl.com/yc3k3c5m
• PIE: What you’re Missing (Peformance Image and Exposure explained, with examples) – EP#64 on 97% Effective: https://tinyurl.com/yvbmnewa
• Michael’s Award-Winning book, Get Promoted: What Your Really Missing at Work That’s Holding You Back https://tinyurl.com/453txk74

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Learn more about Michael Wenderoth, Executive Coach: www.changwenderoth.com

Ed Batista spent fifteen years as Lecturer and Leadership Coach at Stanford Business School, working in and teaching the highly popular course there, Interpersonal Dynamics – also known as “Touchy Feely.” In this episode of 97% Effective, host Michael Wenderoth talks with Ed about the influence that course had on Ed’s coaching – and how course “T-groups” are a powerful laboratory to explore influence. They discuss why needers need to build emotional regulation and how many people confuse force and power – and confuse empathy with needing to be nice. By the end of this episode, you’ll have a deeper understanding of core concepts in touchy feely – and why that doesn’t imply you need to adopt a “touchy feely” leadership style.

SHOW NOTES:

• How the Stanford course Interpersonal Dynamics (aka “Touchy Feely”) has influenced Ed
• A short history on Interpersonal dynamics (Kurt Lewin and “T-groups”)
• A source of power is developing close and connected relationships with people
• Magical black box, artificial setting, or great laboratory for exploring interpersonal communication, influence and power? Michael and Ed debate T-groups
• The benefit of structured reflection
• Ed is not advocating a “touch feely” leadership style – but he does stress the importance of emotional regulation
• Are you willing to understand and explore your feelings?
• Confusing force and power
• Confusing empathy with being nice (or with not holding people accountable)
• The need to understand what another person is feeling
• Michael and Ed discuss empathy vs perspective taking – is the difference a nuance, and does that matter?
• EdBot (the large language model built on Ed’s blog) and Swiss watches
• How should coaches take advantage of AI tools, what differentiates human coaches?
• A man and his dog.. the common connection: Buster (Great Pyrenees mix) is to Ed what and Manchas (Spanish Mastin mix) is to Michael…

 

BIO AND LINKS:

Ed Batista has been an executive coach since 2006, working with senior leaders who are facing a challenge or would like to be more effective or fulfilled in their roles. He also spent 15 years as a Lecturer and Leadership Coach at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Most of Ed’s clients are technology company CEOs, but he works with leaders in fields from investing to healthcare. Issues he addresses with clients include managing relationships with key employees, improving leadership team dynamics, transitioning from technical expert to leader, evolving company culture, and better self-care. Ed’s work as a coach began after a 15-year career in management, during which he took two years off to earn an MBA at Stanford and helped launch three new organizations. He writes about coaching and related issues at www.edbatista.com. Ed is married to Amy Wright, and they lived in San Francisco from 1990 to 2020, when they relocated to a farm 40 miles north of the city. In addition to his MBA, Ed earned a BA in History, magna cum laude, from Brown University.

• Previous episode with Ed and Michael EP120: Power Struggles Among Nice People: https://redcircle.com/shows/86fcd90d-083e-4af2-9bc8-6d52fb981ae1
• Ed’s website and blog: https://www.edbatista.com/about.html
• Kurt Lewin and T-groups: https://www.edbatista.com/2018/06/a-brief-history-of-t-groups.html
• Prof Jeffrey Pfeffer at Stanford: https://jeffreypfeffer.com
• Force isn’t Power: https://www.edbatista.com/2021/03/force-isnt-power.html
• Try out EdBot: https://www.edbatista.com/2025/04/ask-me-anything-anytime-the-ed-bot-20.html
• 8000 Coaching Sessions Reflection: https://www.edbatista.com/2024/05/8000-coaching-sessions.html
• 9000 Hours (Evolution of a Practice): https://www.edbatista.com/2025/03/9000-coaching-sessions-the-evolution-of-a-practice.html
• 97% Effective, Now on video, here: https://www.youtube.com/@97PercentEffective
• Michael’s Award-Winning book, Get Promoted: What Your Really Missing at Work That’s Holding You Back https://tinyurl.com/453txk74

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Learn more about Michael Wenderoth, Executive Coach: www.changwenderoth.com

Do you feel like there's a stark and nasty choice when it comes to power at work: be an arrogant narcissist and win – or a nice guy and lose? Listen as executive coaches Ed Batista and Michael Wenderoth discuss why it doesn’t have to be that way. In this episode of 97% Effective, host Michael Wenderoth chats with Ed about how rising professionals and executives need to expand their thinking about power, and the cost of “opting-out” of power struggles at work. They explore motivational needs theory, ethics, balance – and the need for self-awareness – to make yourself a more effective leader. By the end of this episode, you’ll understand what it means to be on the dance floor and up on the balcony, and leave with a more nuanced understanding of influence and power.

 SHOW NOTES:

• Two history majors in college go into corporate careers and then meet at Stanford Business School
• “You’re talented, but you have some rough edges”: What first drew Ed to Executive Coaching
• Why Ed gravitated to 1-1 coaching
• How coaching helped Ed: Having influence and impact, but doing so without alienating people.
• When Ed starts working with clients, how power dynamics shows up and presents itself
• How people can expand their thinking about power and reframe their relationship with it
• Affiliation, Achievement, Power and Impulse Control – understanding levers that can increase or decrease your ability to influence as a leader, at scale
• Power vs Influence
• Ethics and Opting Out=: “if you abandon the field of power and influence to unethical people, you know what the results are going to be”
• Finding the balance as a leader: Being directive and relying on personal capabilities vs motivating others
• Self-awareness about your influence goals and behaviors
• “The dance floor and the balcony”: gaining perspective
• Ed’s view on 360 reviews

 

BIO AND LINKS:

Ed Batista has been an executive coach since 2006, working with senior leaders who are facing a challenge or would like to be more effective or fulfilled in their roles. He also spent 15 years as a Lecturer and Leadership Coach at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Most of Ed’s clients are technology company CEOs, but he works with leaders in fields from investing to healthcare. Issues he addresses with clients include managing relationships with key employees, improving leadership team dynamics, transitioning from technical expert to leader, evolving company culture, and better self-care. Ed’s work as a coach began after a 15-year career in management, during which he took two years off to earn an MBA at Stanford and helped launch three new organizations. He writes about coaching and related issues at www.edbatista.com. Ed is married to Amy Wright, and they lived in San Francisco from 1990 to 2020, when they relocated to a farm 40 miles north of the city. In addition to his MBA, Ed earned a BA in History, magna cum laude, from Brown University.

• Ed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edbatista/
• Ed’s website and blog: https://www.edbatista.com/about.html
• Power Struggles Among Nice People: https://www.edbatista.com/2022/03/power-struggles-among-nice-people.html
• Ed’s Coach: The great Mary Ann Huckabay, PhD https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-ann-huckabay-51881011/
• Prof Jeffrey Pfeffer at Stanford: https://jeffreypfeffer.com
• David McClelland’s’s work on need for power and motivational needs theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Need_for_power
• FREE resource: Ways to reconceive and reframe your negative associations with power (PDF visual from Michael’s Book., Get Promoted (Chapter 3, 5 Dangerous Myths That De-rail Careers): https://changwenderoth.com/audiobook-resources/
• Fun Flashback, April 2016: When Michael and Ed authored the two most popular articles of the month, in Harvard Business Review – https://hbr.org/2016/04/great-leaders-embrace-office-politics and https://hbr.org/2016/04/how-to-not-fight-with-your-spouse-when-you-get-home-from-work
• 97% Effective, Now on video, here: https://www.youtube.com/@97PercentEffective
• Michael’s Award-Winning book, Get Promoted: What Your Really Missing at Work That’s Holding You Back https://tinyurl.com/453txk74

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Learn more about Michael Wenderoth, Executive Coach: www.changwenderoth.com

** Get a FREE Bonus Gift from Warwick: The “Making Mid-Career Transitions Quick Start Guide” to accompany this episode. Download it directly at go.midcareerpivot.com or e-mail Warwick directly at warwick [at] warwickjohnfahy.com **

What is different about mid-career transitions – and what is key to navigating them successfully? In this episode of 97% Effective, host Michael Wenderoth interviews Warwick John Fahy, business psychologist and behavioral change expert, on three keys to making mid-career transitions: Energy, Ego and Expression. Warwick shares the best practices of high performance athletes, the latest in sleep and habit formation research, and practical tips that have worked for him and the executives he coaches. We also dive into counter-intuitive insights: Why you should set the bar low, thinking in terms of learning vs earning, and how “building from your strengths” and “activation” looks different when mid-career. By the end of this episode, you’ll leave with concrete ways to stay energized – and relevant – in the next phase of your career.

SHOW NOTES:

• The “flow of energy”: Why Warwick left the UK for China in his early twenties
• What elite athletes can teach us about “periodization” when it comes to tackling mid-career transitions
• Early-career transitions vs Mid-Career Transitions
• Warwick’s personal choice when he had a daughter
• Warwick’s hard truth: Accept that our physical powers will wane
• KEY #1 ENERGY and how to manage it mid-career: “Your level of awareness has to really step up”
• How an extra hour of sleep will increase your effectiveness as a leader by 10%
• Practical tip to better manage your energy: To start a new routine, identify a trigger that you can “hook” that routine on to
• Counterintuitive insight: Why you should set the bar very, very low
• KEY #2 EGO & IDENTITY – why people don’t really want to hear the truth
• Reframing and thinking in terms of “learning” vs “earning” exercises
• What is your career “anchor”?
• Running experiments: how to avoid “overloading” and the importance of focusing on one thing
• KEY #3 EXPRESSION – What “Build from strengths” and “Activate” looks like at mid-career
• The lifeline exercise: What’s your story?
• The power of Weak ties and Dormant ties
• How Asia has most influenced Warwick’s views on influence, leadership and life

 

BIO AND LINKS:

Warwick John Fahy is a business psychologist, best-selling author and motivational speaker. An expert in the science of behavioral change and communication, he is the best-selling author of two books, The One Minute Presenter, and Influence: the Jack Ma Way. Originally from the UK, he has been based in Asia for more than 2 decades. Warwick specializes in leadership development, influence, personal effectiveness and habit building, and large group public speaking. He holds a Masters with Distinction in Organisational Psychology from University of London with a specialisation in Psychological Capital and personal resilience. Outside of work he is a dedicated father and endurance athlete, including the Ironman triathalon.

** Get a FREE Bonus Gift from Warwick: The “Making Mid-Career Transitions Quick Start Guide” to accompany this episode. Download it directly at go.midcareerpivot.com or e-mail Warwick directly at warwick [at] warwickjohnfahy.com **

• Get the FREE mid-Career Transition Guide from Warwick here: go.midcareerpivot.com
• Warwick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/warwickjohnfahy/details/experience/
• Warwick’s book The One Minute Presenter: https://a.co/d/i1hPD6z
• Warwick’s book Influence The Jack Ma Way: https://a.co/d/5KESmsd
• Book recommendation: Why We Sleep (Matthew Walker): https://a.co/d/hhB3jC6
• Book recommendation: Tiny Habits (BJ Fogg): https://a.co/d/ighhQGd
• 97% Effective, Now on video, here: https://www.youtube.com/@97PercentEffective
• Michael’s Award-Winning book, Get Promoted: What Your Really Missing at Work That’s Holding You Back https://tinyurl.com/453txk74

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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Learn more about Michael Wenderoth, Executive Coach: www.changwenderoth.com

 **EPISODE (live Coaching Session) best watched on the 97% Effective YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@97PercentEffective **

Can improvisation elevate you at work? Kesinee Angkustsiri Yip and Kevin Weinstein, co-founders of Creative Catalyst and authors of “Yes, And for Success”, resoundingly say: YES! And in this episode show us why. In this entertaining discussion with 97% Effective host Michael Wenderoth, Kesinee and Kevin demonstrate improv exercises and then break down how those seemingly “silly drills” increase critical skills that supercharge our communication, collaboration and creativity. We discuss how to introduce improv into conservative organizations, tips when doing improv in the room vs in zoom, and the surprising ways improv benefited them both at work – and in life. By the end of this episode, you’ll have a new appreciation for the unexpected power of improv.

SHOW NOTES:

• Fact or hype: Does improv actually improve your communication skills, build connection and increase connectivity at work?
• “3 things”: Kesinee and Kevin start us with an improv exercise
• The power of being in the moment
• Iteration gets you better at picking up on each other’s cues
• What happens when you do “3 things” the second time?
• Tips on introducing improv effectively into companies
• In the Room vs Zoom considerations
• Kesinee’s #1 tip on Zoom: keeping the camera on
• Kevin’s #1 tip when in the Room: take advantage of physicality
• How improv transformed Kevin’s ability to recall facts and communicate in impromptu work situations
• Kesinee on the link between improv and the science and practice of communications
• Generative vs Narrow frame thinking: “Yes, And” vs “Yes, But”
• How improv sharpened Kesinee’s work as a communications consultant
• How improv sharpens your interpersonal skills and the ability to lead others
• The surprising benefits of improv on Kevin’s guitar skills
• Keys to starting with improv in your organization
• The benefit of humor and the act of trying
• Ending with improv: “One word story”

 

BIO AND LINKS:

Creative Catalyst is on a mission to banish boring corporate cultures and ignite connection, creativity, and collaboration using the unexpected power of improv. Co-founded by Kesinee Angkustsiri Yip, a seasoned communications leader, and Kevin Weinstein, a systems engineering thought leader, Creative Catalyst delivers science-backed, joy-infused workshops for executive teams, founders, and forward-thinking companies to strengthen trust, accelerate innovation, and solve real business problems. Creative Catalyst believes creative confidence isn’t a talent—it's a muscle. And they are here to help you flex it. “Yes, And for Success,” their first book, is a fun, practical guide that helps leaders and teams tap into their creative power using principles from improvisation.

• Watch this episode on video: https://www.youtube.com/@97PercentEffective
• “Yes, and…” their book: https://a.co/d/cM3iyxr
• Creative Catalyst, their company: www.creativecatalystworks.com
• Kesinee on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kesinee
• Kevin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-weinstein-7589615/
• Impro (Johnston): https://a.co/d/cbcmwJa
• “How to Master Your Body Talk” (episode on 97% Effective): https://tinyurl.com/yzwyt4e
• Humor, Seriously (Aaker and Bagdonas): https://a.co/d/2BEh8Qx
• Michael’s Award-Winning book, Get Promoted: What Your Really Missing at Work That’s Holding You Back https://tinyurl.com/453txk74

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Learn more about Michael Wenderoth, Executive Coach: www.changwenderoth.com

**EPISODE (live Coaching Session) best watched on the 97% Effective YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@97PercentEffective **

It’s one thing to talk about something, it’s another to see it in action. In this episode of 97% Effective, Dr. Inbal Demri coaches host Michael Wenderoth – showing the EFECT framework that underpins her new Stanford course “Coaching Skills for Effective Leadership.” During the live coaching conversation, Inbal points out critical elements in EFECT and demonstrates coaching skills that every leader can utilize to increase their effectiveness. By the end of this episode, you’ll have seen powerful examples of coaching conversations that you can also use at work. (Make sure to check out our previous episode, EP 116, which covers why she designed the Stanford course, and how it will help you go from transactional to transformative in the way you lead others, and your organization).

SHOW NOTES:

• EFECT, from Inbal’s Stanford Course, is the infrastructure of powerful coaching conversations: Engage, Frame, Explore, Commit, Test
• Inbal immediately senses that Michael is uncomfortable
• “E”ngage in action: Pick up on body language – and what do with that information
• “E”ngage in action: “People tell us how to be in relationship with them” - setting up the agreement
• Michael shares what is top of mind: Where to go with his Coaching practice?
• “F”rame and reframing in action: “What is the real question” Michael is wrestling with?
• Inbal’s coaching skills: pausing and listening, paraphrasing, confirming, checking in .. “because I never assume I understand what you’re saying”
• Inbal’s insight: “more degrees of freedom”
• “E”xplore in action: Inbal’s powerful questions - “What are the opportunities?” and “How does that feel?”
• “E”xplore in action: “Sounds like you are trying to create that next phase while still using some old mindsets” and “tapas moments”
• Michael gets brutally honest
• Inbals points out Fear, Choice Points and “What does that enable you?”
• When a Coachee asks you “Tell me what to do”… what do you do?
• How Inbal handles Michael evasiveness and and avoiding answering the hard questions
• “E”xplore in action: Tapping into feeling and emotions; Toggling between Explore and Frame
• “You can’t force process”.. what does the Coachee need?
• The importance of eye contact and the taking notes
• Knowing when to end and not opening a new tunnel
• “C”ommit and “T”est
• Ways to end a Coaching conversation

 

BIO AND LINKS:

Dr. Inbal Demri-Shaham is the Principal and Founder of Q Factor Consulting - a Silicon Valley-based organizational consultancy that works with pioneering founders, C-level corporate executives, and top academics from around the world to solve their most pressing business needs and position them as leaders for the long term. She is also an instructor, facilitator, and executive coach at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and School of Medicine. By deploying a rare hybrid of scholarly and industry expertise, Dr. Demri brings rigorous structure and complex ideas to life inside the classroom and the boardroom for the leaders she empowers, the academics she partners with, and the students she inspires.

• Watch this episode on video: https://www.youtube.com/@97PercentEffective
• Previous episode, 116 “Coaching Skils: What Every Leader Needs to Know”: https://tinyurl.com/ycxxzj8x
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/inbal-demri-shaham-phd-7a91563/
• Her email: idemri [at] email.fielding.edu
• Website: https://inbaldemri.com/about/
• Stanford Course “Coaching Skills for Effective Leadership”: https://tinyurl.com/vs53vuue
• Course Video Intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXCVblbZixQ
• Michael’s Award-Winning book, Get Promoted: What Your Really Missing at Work That’s Holding You Back https://tinyurl.com/453txk74

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy