The Non-Obvious Show

How To Work With (Almost) Anyone: featuring Michael Bungay Stanier, the award-winning author of The Coaching Habits, as well as teacher and speaker who has sold over 1.5 million books, shares solutions to this question in his book How to Work With (Almosn) Anyone.

In this episode, Rohit Bhargava and Michael Bungay Stanier discuss topics inspired by the book, including keystone conversations, how to stay human when working with people, and his mission to infect everyone with the "possibility virus."

Why do most projects fail? Bent Flyvberg and Dan Gardner explore this question and the pattern of failed megaprojects in their book How Big Things Get Done: The Surprising Factors That Determine the Fate of Every Project, from Home Renovations to Space Exploration and Everything In Between. Bent Flyvbjerg is the first BT Professor and inaugural Chair of Major Programme Management at the University of Oxford's Saïd Business School, Villum Kann Rasmussen Professor and Chair at the IT University of Copenhagen. Dan Gardner is the New York Times best-selling author of books about psychology and decision-making.

In this episode, Rohit Bhargava, Bent Flyvbjerg, and Dan Gardner discuss topics inspired by the book, including fat-tailed risks, stories of success, why many projects start wrong, mastering project leadership, and how to focus on people rather than technology.

How often do you think about your pockets? Hannah Carlson, an author and lecturer in dress history and material culture at the Rhode Island School of Design, explores this question and the history of pockets in her book Pockets: An Intimate History of How We Keep Things Close.

In this episode, Rohit Bhargava and Hannah Carlson discuss topics inspired by the book, including the evolution of pockets, pocket-sized inventions, pocket sexism in the fashion industry, and the history of pockets in literature.

How will you tell your life story and are you thinking about it right now? James R. Hagerty, an obituary writer, author, and previous reporter, editor, and bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal and the International Herald Tribune, explores these questions and shares tips for writing obituaries in his book Yours Truly: An Obituary Writer's Guide to Telling Your Story.

In this episode, Rohit Bhargava and James R. Hagerty discuss topics inspired by the book, including why to start writing your obituary when you're young, how to start writing an obituary plus things not to include, and tips for recording family history while managing the accuracy of memories.

What is afrofuturism and how can we develop a powerful view of the future for African Americans through a cultural lens? Dr. Kevin Strait, the Museum Curator of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, explores these questions and the exhibition in DC as one of the editors for the book Afrofuturism.

In this episode, Rohit Bhargava and Dr. Kevin Strait discuss topics inspired by the book, including afrofuturistic literature, rewriting the historical narrative of afrofuturism to reconsider how African Americans are viewed and view themselves, the driver of African American culture, and reviving the platform for free thinking.

How do we bring more culture into the work that we do? Marcus Collins, an award-winning marketer, cultural translator, professor, and author, explores this question and how culture is the most powerful vehicle for influencing behavior in his book For the Culture: The Power Behind What We Buy, What We Do, and Who We Want to Be.

In this episode, Rohit Bhargava and Dr. Marcus Collins discuss topics inspired by the book, including the types and risks of cultural appropriation, the anemia of cultural connection, byproducts of our cultural subscription, and how we can better practice cultural appreciation as a society.

How do you become coachable in order to transform your life and career? Jacquelyn Lane and Scott Osman are two renowned coaching experts who co-authored the book "Becoming Coachable: Unleashing the Power of Executive Coaching to Transform Your Leadership and Life" with the world's top executive coach - Marshall Goldsmith. Jacquelyn Lane is the president of the 100 Coaches Agency, with her work and studies focusing on conscious capitalism and entrepreneurship as a means to create sustainable solutions globally. Scott Osman is the founding CEO of the 100 Coaches Agency, and is well known as a thought leader in the area of purpose strategy. "Becoming Coachable" invites readers to tap into their fullest potential and become better leaders, collaborators, and members of society.

In this episode, Jacquelyn Lane and Scott Osman discuss what it means to be coachable, non-obvious misconceptions about the field, and the benefits of learning from someone who has walked in similar - but not the exact same - shoes. Here is Jacquelyn Lane and Scott Osam explaining what it takes to be coachable on this week's episode of the Non-Obvious Show.

How do you deal with difficult people to create better harmony at work? Amy Gallo is a workplace expert, speaker, and contributing editor at Harvard Business Review. Her work specializes in effective communication, interpersonal dynamics, gender, difficult conversations, and feedback. Her bestselling book, "Getting Along," delves into the challenges of working with difficult people and gives insight on how to communicate empathetically in order to create a positive working environment.

In this episode, Amy Gallo talks about the eight archetypes of difficult people, developing interpersonal resilience, and how we need to be open-minded in order to find common ground and collaborate to work together. Here is Amy Gallo sharing how to deal with difficult people on this week's episode of the Non-Obvious Show.

Zoe Chance teaches the most popular course at the Yale School of Management, called "Mastering Influence and Persuasion," yet she describes herself as being shy and uninfluential in her youth. Her impressive career includes stints in sales, leading marketing for the Barbie brand, and teaching thousands of people how to tap into their own inner charisma and make influence their superpower. In this episode, Zoe Chance delves into influence techniques and strategies that are both comfortable for you and those you speak to, why it's harder to negotiate as women, and why the secret to being influential is being influenceable.

She has a new book out called, "Influence is Your Superpower: The Science of Winning Hearts, Sparking Change, and Making Good Things Happen" where she delves into the realms of persuasion and decision-making.

In this episode, Zoe Chance delves into influence techniques and strategies that are both comfortable for you and those you speak to, why it's harder to negotiate as women, and why the secret to being influential is being influenceable. Here is Zoe Chance sharing how to use influence as your superpower on this week's episode of the Non-Obvious Show.

World leading expert on employee and customer experience, Joey Coleman is the Chief Experience Composer at Design Symphony - a customer experience branding firm that helps organizations like NASA and Zappos retain their customers and employees, turning them into their biggest fans. In his latest book, "Never Lose an Employee Again", Joey digs into how any business owner, manager, or employee can build a positive workplace that people love to stay in.

In this episode, Joey Coleman discusses the long-term effects of positive employee journeys, measuring employee engagement post-COVID, and what enhancing an organization's experience looks like nowadays.