Coaching for Leaders

• 744: Where Being Selfish is Better, with Jenny Wood

  Jenny Wood: Wild Courage Over an 18-year career at Google, Jenny Wood grew from entry-level to executive, most recently leading a large operations team that helped drive billions of revenue per year. In 2021, she started a passion project within Google called Own Your Career, which grew to one of the largest career development programs in Google’s history. Her work has since been featured in Harvard Business Review, Entrepreneur, and Forbes, and she’s now the author of Wild Courage: Go After What You Want and Get It*. Leadership is about serving others – and it’s also ensuring that we take care of ourselves along the way. Sometimes leaders over-index on helping their organizations and teams, to their own detriment. In this conversation, Jenny and I explore where being a little more selfish might actually be better for everyone. Key Points Selfish redefined means having the courage to stand up for what you want. People want to join a winning team, even if they don’t say that out loud. Guilt is natural, but always caving to it is self-defeating. Don’t do work that’s not actually promotable. There’s no prize for an empty inbox. A belief like “I owe it to them,” may signal an over-commitment to the organization. They will not love you back. Appreciate truth when you get it, but don’t sign up for a burned-out boss. It’s inefficient to always be in the lead. Draft in another leader’s wake. Resources Mentioned Wild Courage: Go After What You Want and Get It* by Jenny Wood Interview Notes Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes Align Your Calendar to What Matters, with Nir Eyal (episode 431) The Ways Leadership Can Derail Us, with Bill George (episode 596) The Path to More Joy in Work and Life, with Judith Joseph (episode 734) 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.

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• 743: How to Teach Your Expertise to Others, with Roger Kneebone

  Roger Kneebone: Expert Roger Kneebone directs the Imperial College Centre for Engagement and Simulation Science and the Royal College of Music–Imperial College Centre for Performance Science. He researches what experts from different fields can learn from one another, including a creative team of clinicians, computer scientists, musicians, magicians, potters, puppeteers, tailors, and fighter pilots. He is the author of Expert: Understanding the Path to Mastery*. Many leaders get into the roles they have because they are the experts in their work. But once you’re leading, the work is less about being the expert and more about teaching your expertise to others. In this conversation, Roger and I explore how to get better at doing this well. Key Points Experts don’t often recognize that they are experts. A characteristic of many experts is a dissatisfaction with where they are and an awareness that they could do better. Experts should notice what’s missing and what would be most helpful to the less experienced person. Effective teachers zero in on one thing at a time, even if they notice many areas for improvement. Passing along expertise is not just the skills themselves but the perspective of why each skill matters. Land in the zone of proximal development. The skill should neither be too easy nor too difficult. Resources Mentioned Expert: Understanding the Path to Mastery* by Roger Kneebone Interview Notes Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes Help People Learn Through Powerful Teaching, with Pooja Agarwal (episode 421) The Art of Mentoring Well, with Robert Lefkowitz (episode 599) How to Handle High-Pressure Situations, with Dan Dworkis (episode 701) 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.

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• 742: The Problem Leaders Have With Authenticity, with Sabina Nawaz

  Sabina Nawaz: You’re the Boss Sabina Nawaz is an executive coach who advises C-level executives and teams at Fortune 500 corporations, government agencies, nonprofits, and academic institutions. During her 14-year tenure at Microsoft, she went from managing software development teams to leading the company’s executive development and succession planning efforts for over 11,000 managers and nearly a thousand executives, advising Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer directly. She’s the author of You're the Boss: Become the Manager You Want to Be (and Others Need)*. Every leader I know intends to be authentic. Unfortunately, we sometimes use authenticity as an excuse not to do the critical work of calibrating our actions. In this conversation, Sabina and I discuss how to avoid that trap so we can show up more genuinely for others. Key Points “Yeah, but…” signals justification and holds us back from what we most need to learn. Your success comes despite unhelpful traits, not because of them. Pure authenticity is a complete fallacy. Authenticity is not singular. We sometimes use authenticity as an excuse not to do the important work of calibrating our actions. Don’t let the smokescreen of past “authenticity” get in the way of growth. Authenticity is not static. Reading your old past social media posts will remind you of this. When shifting, start with small experiments to nudge you in a new direction. Language that may be warning signs of the authenticity trap: “That’s just how I am.” “I’m not the kind of person who…” “I’m not being true to myself if…” “That’s the way I’ve always done things, and it’s worked for me.” Resources Mentioned You're the Boss: Become the Manager You Want to Be (and Others Need)* by Sabina Nawaz Interview Notes Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes How to Change Your Behavior, with BJ Fogg (episode 507) How to Start a Big Leadership Role, with Carol Kauffman (episode 617) The Habits That Hold Leaders Back, with Marshall Goldsmith (episode 696) 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.

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• 741: Getting Better at Transparency, with Minda Harts

  Minda Harts: Talk to Me Nice Minda Harts is a bestselling author, workplace consultant, and sought-after keynote speaker who is redefining what it means to build trust in the workplace. As the bestselling author of The Memo, Right Within, and You Are More Than Magic, Minda has empowered thousands to be their own best advocates and navigate workplace challenges with confidence. She has just released her newest book, Talk to Me Nice: The Seven Trust Languages for a Better Workplace. Sometimes we assume that we’re helping by shielding people from difficult news. But as we all know, virtually everyone wants transparency from leaders. In this conversation, Minda shows us how to get better at it. Key Points You’re not helping by shielding people from difficult conversations. Most everyone assumes baseline behaviors of employees. Employees expect reciprocity through transparency. We often think about transparency with information that’s known. Just as important is clarity about what’s not known. Even when you can’t share news, you can put time and resources into what will help people handle a new reality when it arrives. Transparency provides clear, honest, and timely information. Promote transparency in roles. A job description is a helpful starting point for this. Good intentions do not mean good impact. When changes happen, communicate them as quickly as practical. Resources Mentioned Talk to Me Nice: The Seven Trust Languages for a Better Workplace* by Minda Harts Interview Notes Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes The Path Towards Trusting Relationships, with Edgar Schein and Peter Schein (episode 539) How to Help Difficult Conversations Go Better, with Sheila Heen (episode 655) Preparing for a Conversation with Someone You Don’t Trust, with Charles Feltman (episode 708) Expert Partner Are you a talent development or human resources leader seeking a coach for an internal client? Coaching for Leaders has partnered with some of the top coaches in the world, including a number of past podcast guests. Help us make an introduction by visiting our Expert Partners Page and telling us what you’re seeking in a coach. 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.

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• 450R: The Way to Influence Executives, with Nancy Duarte

  Nancy Duarte: DataStory Nancy Duarte is a communication expert who has been featured in Fortune, Time Magazine, Forbes, Fast Company, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and many others. Her firm, Duarte, Inc., is the global leader behind some of the most influential visual messages in business and culture. Nancy has written many best-selling books, including Slide:ology, Resonate, and Illuminate. She is the author of the new book DataStory: Explain Data and Inspire Action Through Story*. In this conversation, Nancy and I discuss the realities of executive life, how executives are measured, and why you should expect to be grilled when briefing them. With intentional preparation, you’ll be prepared to more successfully influence executives both inside the organization — and with your customers. Key Points “The higher their level of authority, the more structured and brief your approach should be.” -Nancy Duarte Time is an essential asset for executives. Appreciating how much they work to maximize efficiency can help you align better with their world. Craft a recommendation that’s brief and easily skimmable. Leave time for questions and expect to be grilled. Executives are measured on money (revenue/profit and costs), market (market share and time to market), and exposure (retention and risk). Know how executives plan to consume information. Tailor your message and medium to align with these preferences. Resources Mentioned DataStory: Explain Data and Inspire Action Through Story* by Nancy Duarte Duarte DataStory Interview Notes Download my highlights from DataStory in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes Success on Presentation Day, with David Sparks (episode 159) Ignite Change Through Storytelling, with Nancy Duarte and Patti Sanchez(episode 268) Executive Presence with Your Elevator Speech, with Tom Henschel (episode 316) Get Your Emails Read (Dave’s Journal) 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.

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