Exactly as You Are

What if there were a way to predict how relationships will unfold over time? New beginnings are ripe with possibility. A fledgling relationship, a coveted job,or moving to a new town all present a bright, shining opportunity to get it right. At these times, we tend to...

You Can Act 6 Months Earlier

The conversation goes like this. You just made an important change to your team or how it operates. You tell your coach, “I wish I had done this six months ago when I first felt the need.” I always encourage leaders not to brush such moments aside, but to learn what...

360 Feedback? Ask This First

Most collaborative efforts have some kind of feedback process. These range from informally reviewing what worked and could be done better to sophisticated lists of qualities against which your team and your bosses score your recent behavior. We have conducted...

Pathology Versus Self-Emergence

I often get asked, “What is the difference between coaching and therapy?” 
Typically—in the medical model at least—the word therapy suggests correcting an imbalance or ailment. I realize there are countless forms and methods, many of which have a strong positive...

Personality Bias Can Hurt You

You want to work with high-performing people. The data predicts that certain personality types produce better results. So why not just test everyone? Hire the ENTJs (or whatever) and be done with it. You may have seen the recent HBO special, Persona: The Dark Truth...

Self and Team Aligned

My colleagues and I often get called in to help with team or organizational dynamics that have become difficult for the players involved. Unresolved tension, ebbing creativity, a backlog of undelivered communication, overwhelm…a thousand ways in which the smartest and...