Pandemic puppies, incivility, and the yes-man myth

We’re trying something new today!

Below, you’ll see our new “Coach Spotlight” section (inspired by Dense Discovery’s “worthy five”). Each Friday a coach will join us to recommend 5 thought-provoking and novel things that will send you into your weekend with something to think about.

If you or a coach you love wants to be featured in a future edition, just reply to this email and let me know.

From the Coaches

Shari Roth comments on the detrimental effects of even a small outburst of incivility in the workplace and what leaders can do to ensure their businesses are free of it in Leadership & Incivility-What's the Cost.

Brajesh Jha shares these nuggets of leadership wisdom he gained during the pandemic by raising a puppy in Leadership lessons from raising a pandemic puppy.

Louis Carter takes aim at the myth of the “yes-man” and encourages aspiring leaders to openly voice their opinions if they want to be seen as leadership material in Debunking the Yes-Man Myth: Support The Final Decision.

David Levenson muses on the importance of coaching and why inspiration is one of the most valuable things a coach can share with their client in Everyone needs to be inspired - ask your coach.

Teresa Brazen speaks with Natalie Kuhn from Meta on how to help teams understand their place in large and often complicated work ecosystems in #20 The Inspirational Leader Series: Natalie Kuhn.

Eric Echols digs into his sporting and church leadership background to argue that "team" should always be spelled with an “I” in Teamwork: There Is An “I” In Team.

Coach Spotlight: Andy Sparks

A video worth watching
Creativity in Management, a lecture by Monty Python co-founder John Cleese. Long before the four horsemen of the attention apocalypse arrived—iPhones, social media, open office plans, and Slack—John Cleese spelled out five keys to shifting into the optimal mindset, which he called “The Open Mode," for creative work. It’s a hilarious lecture and one that anyone interested in learning how to either (1) be more creative or (2) create space to focus on seemingly insoluble problems will certainly enjoy watching. For folks who prefer to read vs. watch or listen, the transcript is available here.

An activity worth doing:
As you lay in bed falling asleep (or trying to) at night, ask yourself, “What went well today?” Many of us, myself included, fall prey to negativity bias, which causes us to focus on what’s broken instead of noticing (and feeling grateful) for all the wonderful things that happen in a day. Waking up able to see, hear, walk, and smell, are simple pleasures we often overlook, let alone noticing when our spouse, boss, or coworker does something we’re truly grateful for. Try it for a month and I guarantee your day-to-day will improve.

A podcast worth listening to:
Andrew Huberman recently kicked off what will become a four-part series on mental health with Dr. Paul Conti. Paul lays out one of the most helpful models (complete with a free graphic) of what mental health is. I found Andrew and Paul’s comparisons to physical fitness particularly helpful, and episodes 2+ go deeper into concepts they touch on at a high level in the first episode. I’m also particularly grateful for how Paul challenges the structural components of modern therapy (e.g. insurance). Episode 1, Episode 2, and Episode 3 are live.

A quote or saying worth repeating (and why):
“No matter the self-conceited importance of our labors, we are all compost for worlds we cannot yet imagine.” This quote by poet David Whyte hangs behind my monitor, and serves as a reminder that I can’t predict the future, let alone how the work I’m doing now might be “compost” for future versions of me I can’t imagine becoming. When I set out to found a business analytics and database company serving venture capitalists in 2013, for example, I never thought the introspection that I did along the way would translate to becoming an executive coach to other founders. Along the same line, and for a double quote, Bill Watterson, creator of Calvin and Hobbes, said, “The truth is, most of us discover where we are headed when we arrive.”

A coach worth following:
Ed Batista. Ed has the most comprehensive blog I’ve ever found by an executive coach. His "Art of Self-Coaching" and "Coaching and Feedback Tools for Leaders” are “super resources” full of dozens of articles he’s written over more than fifteen years, and I genuinely can’t believe it’s all completely free. I’m continually impressed by how Ed sticks to research, blends the emotional and practical business sides of coaching, and how dang prolific he is.

Five recommendations by executive coach and guy who reads too much, Andy Sparks

From the Operators & Investors

Anton Chumak Andryakov opens up about how sharing his emotions with his team has helped him be a better leader in Why it is Important for Leaders to Show Emotions at Work.

Heidi Zak offers advice on how to deal with crises and the stress that comes with them in How to Deal With the Constant Pressure as a CEO.

Oh hey, what’s Heyday?

Heyday is an AI-powered thought partner that helps executive coaches be more present with clients. Modern coaches generate automatic session notes, detect patterns from client conversations, and write targeted content with help from Heyday.

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