Think coaching is a "feel good" HR initiative? Think again. In this episode of The Coaching Habit, Sally Bonneywell outlines how coaching can be a strategic tool that moves your organization closer toward its business objectives.

Nathan Leigh Jones is a musician and an academic. He's performed all over the world, and is doing a PhD that exposes the impact of music and lyrics on emotional well-being. That expertise meant he was the official music curator at the World Happiness Summit. In our conversation, we talk about the dance between words and music, how you test to discover if lyrics really matter, and how to build the playlist you’re going to need.

Today's guest is Laine Joelson Cohen, one of the Marshall Goldsmith 100 Coach Group, as well as the Director of Leadership, Executive and Professional Development at Citi. Laine believes that using a coaching style and curiosity as a cornerstone to her work opens up channels of trust and leads to collaboration, performance, and impact.

I’m really happy to be talking to Marvin Weisbord and Sandra Janoff, the founders of Future Search. They have a terrific new book out called Lead More, Control Less: 8 Advanced Leadership Skills That Overturn Convention. In this conversation the three of us discuss:

Misha Glouberman runs a program called “How to Talk to People About Things,” is a faculty director at the executive education program at the Ivy Business School, and the host of Trampoline Hall. In our conversation we work on how to get out of our own way when we’re having a conversation; the foundational error that derails a good conversation; how curiosity can be a saving grace; why we so often continue to tolerate short-term irritation; and why we’re often not bold enough in owning up to what irritates us most.

As a Marketing & Publicity Strategist, Selena Soo knows the value of relationships and helps others connect to influencers. In this interview, Selena reflects on how the fastest way to reach your goals is through nurturing networks. This episode explores how you can gain leverage and credibility by drawing on the platforms and reach of leaders.

I’m pleased to share my conversation with Danielle LaPorte. Danielle writes and speaks extensively on how to live an authentic, damn good life and make an impact. She’s the author of The Fire Starter Sessions and The Desire Map.

To this day, people will come up to me and tell me how this interview was an aha! moment for them to becoming more attuned to “wide-awake living.”

In this interview, Danielle and I chat about:

Ric Leahy served on the staff of the Chief of the Australian Navy, and was awarded a Queen's Gold Medal, and later in his career the Conspicuous Service Cross. He now leads a number of leadership programs for Australia’s top business schools, has become a “neuro nerd” with an Executive Masters degree on neuroscience and leadership, and is an endurance athlete. In our conversation we talk about where we do our best thinking--and why--and three powerful mindsets: the Sensei, the Scientist and the Socializer.

Desiree Adaway, Principal at The Adaway Group, is a seasoned nonprofit consultant and facilitator. Her work involves helping people, organizations, and institutions change their company culture by addressing the norms, policies, and behaviours that maintain oppression.

When I think about the icons of management and leadership theorists, not many names come to mind. But a few do. Peter Block, Peter Drucker, Frances Hesselbein. In this interview, I had the deep pleasure of speaking with Frances from her office at the Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute.

For those of you who are not familiar with Frances, she held the position of CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA from 1976 to 1990 and is the recipient of 21 honorary doctoral degrees, the author of three autobiographies, and the co-editor of 30 books, now published in 29 languages. Her most recent book is titled Peter Drucker’s Five Most Important Questions: Enduring Wisdom for Today’s Leaders.

In this interview, Frances and I discuss: