Coaching for Leaders

By Dave StachowiakBusiness Careers Management

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Coaching for Leaders episodes

February 03, 2025 718: How Leaders Can Use the Algorithms for Good, with Sandra Matz
Sandra Matz: Mindmasters
Sandra Matz is a Columbia Business School professor, computational social scientist, and pioneering expert in psychological targeting. Her research uncovers the hidden relationships between our digital lives and our psychology with the goal of helping businesses and individuals make better decisions. She is the author of Mindmasters: The Data-Driven Science of Predicting and Changing Human Behavior*.
Algorithms are becoming more influential with each passing day. That’s why leaders must understand their power and then decide how their organizations engage. In this conversation, Sandra and I discuss where psychological targeting is at, where it’s going, and the opportunity you have to make the world a bit better.
Key Points
Everyone knows everything in a small town (for better or worse). In the same way, psychological targeting can be used for both evil and good.
Psychological targeting already is successful at identifying wealth, personality, income level, and sexual orientation – and keeps improving.
None of this is going away. Understanding how the game of targeting is played can help you make it work to your advantage.
Leaders and organizations who use targeting responsibly can do tremendous good, including helping people save money and flag early interventions for health crises.
Be transparent with what data you’re collecting and how you’re using it. Consider newer practices like federated learning that protect privacy and provide permission-based access.
Design systems and practices that anticipate the reality of future leaders with different values.
Resources Mentioned
Mindmasters: The Data-Driven Science of Predicting and Changing Human Behavior by Sandra Matz
Interview Notes
Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).
Related Episodes
Serve Others Through Marketing, with Seth Godin (episode 381)
The Way to Earn Attention, with Raja Rajamannar (episode 521)
The Reason People Make Buying Decisions, with Marcus Collins (episode 664)
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39 min
January 27, 2025 717: A Key Tactic for Way Better Conversations, with Alison Wood Brooks
Alison Wood Brooks: Talk
Alison Wood Brooks is the O’Brien Associate Professor of Business Administration and Hellman Faculty Fellow at the Harvard Business School, where she created and teaches a course called TALK. As a behavioral scientist, she is a leading expert on the science of conversation and her research was referenced in two of the top ten most-viewed TED talks and depicted in Pixar’s Inside Out 2. She is the author of Talk: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves*.
Conversations are the venues where leaders do so much of their work. We all know someone who always can keep a conversation interesting and relevant. In this episode, Alison and I discuss how a key tactic can help you towards more meaningful conversations.
Key Points
Healthy relationships are critical for success, and relationships are about talking.
Good conversation is both instinct and deliberate effort. Preparing topics in advance improves conversation immensely.
Topics for conversation can be sourced from almost anywhere and help even if we don’t use those topics.
Good topic management is more important than the right topic. The best conversationalists know when to shift.
Small talk in an essential exploration ground for getting to bigger, more meaningful conversation.
Resources Mentioned
Talk: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves* by Alison Wood Brooks
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 Help Difficult Conversations Go Better, with Sheila Heen (episode 655)
How to Connect with People Better, with Charles Duhigg (episode 670)
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39 min
January 20, 2025 716: How to Share an Inspiring Vision, with Adam Galinsky
Adam Galinsky: Inspire
Adam Galinsky is the Vice Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Paul Calello Professor of Leadership and Ethics at the Columbia Business School. He co-authored the book Friend & Foe and his TED talk, How to Speak Up for Yourself, is one of the most popular of all time with over 7 million views. He's the author of Inspire: The Universal Path for Leading Yourself and Others.
Leaders can delegate many things, but vision is not one of them. Most every leader needs to be able to articulate the future. In this conversation, Adam and I explore the building blocks to get better at inspiring others.
Key Points
Every leader has the potential to be inspiring. We can choose to get better.
Whatever a leader says, either positive or negative, will be amplified.
When values are brought front and center, they inspire behavior that creates a better future.
Inspiring leaders offer a big picture, optimistic view of the future.
Make visions simple and vivid. Simplicity is the key to inception. Use strong imagery that brings details to life.
Repetition is essential for a vision to take hold. The more often we hear something, the more likely it becomes our own truth.
Resources Mentioned
Inspire: The Universal Path for Leading Yourself and Others* by Adam Galinsky
Interview Notes
Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).
Related Episodes
How to Sell Your Vision, with Michael Hyatt (episode 482)
The Beliefs of Inspirational Leaders, with Stephen M. R. Covey (episode 707)
How to Create Your Personal Vision (Audio course)
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Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.
35 min
January 13, 2025 715: How to Stand Up for Yourself, with Sunita Sah
Sunita Sah: Defy
Sunita Sah is an award-winning professor at Cornell University and an expert in organizational psychology, leading groundbreaking research on influence, authority, compliance, and defiance. A trained physician, her research and analyses have been widely published in leading academic journals and media entities including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Harvard Business Review, and Scientific American. She is the author of Defy: The Power of No in a World That Demands Yes*.
We often think of defiance as a snap judgement. Yet, it’s so much more nuanced and purposeful than it often appears. In this conversation, Sunita and I explore the common patterns of defiance and how we can all do a better job of standing up for ourselves.
Key Points
We follow bad advice – even when we know it is obviously bad – to avoid appearing unhelpful.
Defiance means acting in accordance with your true values when there is pressure to do otherwise.
True defiance is not a snap judgement; it’s a process.
Acts of defiance are preceded by many moments of conscious compliance, when defiance is deferred.
Five stages of defiance often emerge: (1) Tension, (2) Acknowledgement (to ourselves), (3) Escalation (vocalize to others), (4) Threat of non-compliance, and (5) Act of defiance.
Vocalizing our concern to someone else is a key pivot point on the journey to ultimately saying no.
Respond explicitly to these questions: (1) Who am I? (2) What type of situation is this? and (3) What does a person like me do in a situation such as this?
Resources Mentioned
Defy: The Power of No in a World That Demands Yes* by Sunita Sah
Interview Notes
Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).
Related Episodes
Find Courage to Speak When It Matters Most, with Allan McDonald (episode 229)
How to Build Psychological Safety, with Amy Edmondson (episode 404)
How to Speak Up, with Connson Locke (episode 546)
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Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.
37 min
January 06, 2025 714: Team Collaboration and Communication, with Bonni Stachowiak
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*.
Listener Questions
Josh asked about helpful practices for setting chat groups in the workplace, especially for remote workers.
Lily was curious about the best way to structure a first session of a new innovation group and also how to help people engage.
Nicole wondered how she might navigate a situation with a particular donor who is asking for more support than is typical.
Resources Mentioned
The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters* by Priya Parker
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable* by Patrick Lencioni
Sunrise, Sunset from Fiddler on the Roof
Related Episodes
How to Create Meaningful Gatherings, with Priya Parker (episode 395)
Transitioning to Remote Leadership, with Tammy Bjelland (episode 509)
Transcend Leadership Struggles Through Your Strengths, with Lisa Cummings (episode 692)
Discover More
Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.
40 min
December 30, 2024567R: How to Lead & Retain High Performers, with Ruth Gotian
Ruth Gotian: The Success Factor
Ruth Gotian has been hailed by the journal Nature and Columbia University as an expert in mentorship and leadership development. In 2021, she was selected as one of 30 people worldwide to be named to the Thinkers50 Radar List, where she was described as a “Prolific mentor and educator, leading important research into the secrets of success.” She is a semi-finalist for the Forbes 50 Over 50 list and has coached and mentored hundreds of people throughout her career.
In addition to being published in academic journals, Ruth is a contributor to _Forbes_and _Psychology Today,_ where she writes about optimizing success. She is the Chief Learning Officer in Anesthesiology and former Assistant Dean of Mentoring and Executive Director of the Mentoring Academy at Weill Cornell Medicine, where she is a faculty member. Ruth is the author of The Success Factor: Developing the Mindset and Skillset for Peak Business Performance*.
In this rebroadcast, Ruth and I discussed how leaders can genuinely connect with (and retain) their top performers. We explored the difference these employees make in organizations and what’s unique about how they approach work and their careers. Ruth suggested a number of practical steps to engage high performers genuinely to develop them well and benefit the entire organization.
Key Points
High achievers can produce up to 400 percent more than the average employee.
Promotions, diplomas, and awards may be starting points for high performers, but they are not ending points. Leading high performers well requires you to align with their intrinsic motivation.
Offer high performers opportunities for exposure with visibility to senior leadership, strengths assignments, and decision-making.
Provide autonomy to high performers. For them, the chase is as exciting as the win. They fear not trying more than failing.
Recognize that internal professional development programs may not be sufficient for the demands of high performers. Support external opportunities they identify and connect with them during and after those experiences to further their learning (and yours).
Resources Mentioned
The Success Factor: Developing the Mindset and Skillset for Peak Business Performance* by Ruth Gotian
Interview Notes
Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).
Discover More
Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.
41 min
December 23, 2024454R: How to Ask Better Questions, with David Marquet
David Marquet: Leadership is Language
David Marquet is the former commander of the U.S.S. Santa Fe, a nuclear-powered attack submarine. Under David’s command, the ship had an impressive turnaround, achieving the highest retention and operational standings in the Navy.
David is the author of the bestseller Turn the Ship Around: A True Story of Turning Followers Into Leaders* and his newer book, Leadership is Language: The Hidden Power of What You Say and What You Don’t*.
In this rebroadcast, David and I explored the seven sins of questioning. David shared the story of the ill-fated El Faro and how we can discover better information in leadership by making the shift from self-affirming to self-educating.
Seven Ways to Ask Better Questions
Instead of question stacking, try one and done.
Instead of a teaching moment, try a learning moment.
Instead of a dirty question, try a clear question.
Instead of a binary question, start the question with “what” or “how.”
Instead of a “why” question, try “tell me more.”
Instead of a self-affirming question, try self-educating questions.
Instead of jumping to the future, start with the present, past, then future.
Resources Mentioned
Leadership is Language: The Hidden Power of What You Say and What You Don’t* by David Marquet
Turn the Ship Around: A True Story of Turning Followers Into Leaders* by David Marquet
Discover More
Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.
37 min
December 16, 2024 713: How to Grow From Feedback, with Jennifer Garvey Berger
Jennifer Garvey Berger: Changing on the Job
Jennifer Garvey Berger is cofounder and CEO of Cultivating Leadership, a consultancy that serves executives and teams in the private, non-profit, and government sectors. Her clients include Google, Microsoft, Novartis, Wikipedia, and Oxfam International. She is the author of four leadership books, including now in it’s second edition, Changing on the Job: How Leaders Become Courageous, Wise, and Steady in an Anxious World*.
We often think about feedback as something we give to someone else. What if, in addition to that, feedback is an opportunity for both parties to learn and grow? In this conversation, Jennifer and I explore how this can open a door to some of the best leadership work we do.
Key Points
If we view feedback as only giving our truth to someone else, we’ve missed a huge opportunity for growth.
Start by separating what happened from the interpretation of what happened.
Get curious about your own response: what made you react so strongly?
Talk it out. You have to welcome someone else into your thinking if you’re going to really learn.
Invite in how the other person sees the situation. Consider saying, “I’m really interested in what this looked like from your perspective.”
The process of unwinding what you hear is the good work of leadership and some the best work you can do.
Build a solution together.
Resources Mentioned
Changing on the Job: How Leaders Become Courageous, Wise, and Steady in an Anxious World* by Jennifer Garvey Berger
Interview Notes
Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).
Related Episodes
Essentials of Adult Development, with Mindy Danna (episode 273)
How to Give Feedback, with Russ Laraway (episode 583)
How to Lead Better Through Complexity, with Jennifer Garvey Berger (episode 613)
Production Credit
Coaching for Leaders is edited by Andrew Kroeger. Production support is provided by Sierra Priest.
Discover More
Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.
37 min
December 09, 2024 712: Clarifying Values for a Workplace People Love, with Anne Chow
Anne Chow: Lead Bigger
Anne Chow was the CEO of AT&T Business and the first woman of color CEO in AT&T’s 140+ year history, responsible for leading a $35B global operating unit of over 35,000 people. She was named to Fortune’s Most Powerful Women in Business twice and today serves on a number of boards, including FranklinCovey, 3M, and CSX. She is the author of Lead Bigger: The Transformative Power of Inclusion.
We all know the importance of values, but it’s often hard to know where to begin when clarifying them with a team. In this conversation, Anne and I explore how to align on values that support a great culture and move towards a vision.
Key Points
Values and ideologies are distinct. Leading bigger means honoring diverse ideologies while aligning on core values.
Bigger leaders have the courage to admit and cite situations where they fall short.
When asking people to craft values, invite them to start by individually considering their personal values.
When discussing values as a group, highlight both the common agreements and also the outlying ideas.
Leaders must ultimately decide which values best embody the culture and vision of their organization.
Bring in different stakeholders to do a gut check on whether the values are legitimate.
Measure behaviors against values and review and update values and metrics regularly.
Resources Mentioned
Lead Bigger: The Transformative Power of Inclusion by Anne Chow
Interview Notes
Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).
Related Episodes
How to Create Team Guidelines, with Susan Gerke (episode 192)
How to Discover What Others Value, with Joe Hart (episode 616)
How to Prevent a Team From Repeating Mistakes, with Robert “Cujo” Teschner (episode 660)
Discover More
Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.
40 min
December 02, 2024 711: Turning Down the Temperature on Outrage, with Karthik Ramanna
Karthik Ramanna: The Age of Outrage
Karthik Ramanna is a professor of business and public policy at the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government, where he has served as director of one of the world’s most diverse leadership programs. Previously a professor at Harvard Business School, he studies how organizations and leaders build trust with stakeholders. He is the author of The Age of Outrage: How to Lead in a Polarized World.
In a lot of ways, leadership is better than it was a generation ago. One way that it isn’t better? Figuring out how to lead effectively in an increasingly polarized world. In this conversation, Karthik and I explore what leaders can do to turn down the temperature on outrage.
Key Points
We tend to frame effective leadership as heroic. In times of outrage, the virtue of temperance becomes essential.
A leader will never fully address the demands made of them, regardless of how well they act.
Even when a leader resolves problems, they will be viewed as part of the problem.
Anticipate times of outrage and create spaces that calm people physically and help them connect with each other.
Establish rules of engagement outside moments of outrage so that you have a starting point.
Create pre-arranged workgroups that can help illuminate a path forward for the larger organization.
Resources Mentioned
The Age of Outrage: How to Lead in a Polarized World by Karthik Ramanna
Interview Notes
Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).
Related Episodes
How to Create Team Guidelines, with Susan Gerke (episode 192)
The Way Out of Major Conflict, with Amanda Ripley (episode 529)
Three Practices for Thriving in Negotiations, with William Ury (episode 669)
Discover More
Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.
38 min

About Coaching for Leaders

From the publisher's feed

Leaders aren’t born; they’re made. Many leaders reach points in their careers where what worked yesterday doesn’t work today. This Monday show helps leaders thrive at these key inflection points.…