Five Levels of Communication
One of the most useful and flexible models of human interaction that I’ve encountered is Richard Francisco’s Five Levels of Communication. [1] Francisco, a Lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a psychologist at San José State University, essentially asks “In what ways do we communicate?” and then answers that question by mapping out a […]
The Blue Problem (Communication and Power)
When we’re interacting with people of differing status, Columbia Business School professor Adam Galinsky advises us to pay attention to the “power amplification effect.” In these situations, Galinsky notes, “the words of those with power loom large over those with less power.” [1] He cites three specific ways this can happen: Any feedback, positive or […]
Meditation Is a WORKOUT, Not a BREAK
I just ran an image search for "meditation" and got the results above: Twelve of the first 13 shots show people seated in a soothing, peaceful environment, backed by the ocean, or the setting sun, or the ocean and the setting sun. (The thirteenth image is, of course, a lotus flower…floating on the ocean…under the setting […]
Welcome @StanfordBiz!
My colleagues who run @StanfordBiz are promoting my Twitter feed today as a part of a campaign to spread the word about people at the school who are active on social media. (Thanks, Karen and Natalie!) Assuming this effort converts some of their 318,000 followers into new visitors to this site, I thought it would be […]
Are We Video-Gaming or Ditch-Digging?
In Startups as Human Systems I described early stage ventures as “deceptively complex organizations” and went on to note that “the small number of employees and, often, the shared background of the founding team can give the impression that the company’s interpersonal dynamics will be simple and easy to manage. But by definition a startup […]
Adventure, Tragedy, Comedy
John Williams’ historical novel Augustus tells the life story of the founder of the Roman Empire through a series of invented documents–letters, journal entries, official records–most of which are written about or to the man himself. The book concludes by finally revealing Augustus’s own voice in a letter to a trusted confidant, written shortly before […]
Comfort with Discomfort
Executive Coach & Instructor @EdBatista (MBA ’00) shares advice for the Class of 2015 #GSB15 pic.twitter.com/JGye1eHPn6 — Stanford Business (@StanfordBiz) June 7, 2015 My colleagues who run the @StanfordGSB feed asked me to contribute a few words of advice for the members of the Class of 2015 (who graduate tomorrow!), and the comments above were […]
The Art of Self-Coaching @ Stanford GSB, Class 9: Endings
UPDATE: See my Art of Self-Coaching archive for all current course materials, including slides, class readings, and additional resources. Here's a condensed set of slides from the ninth and final session on Endings in The Art of Self-Coaching, a new course I taught at the Stanford Graduate School of Business this Spring, and the readings […]
The Art of Self-Coaching @ Stanford GSB, Class 8: Success
UPDATE: See my Art of Self-Coaching archive for all current course materials, including slides, class readings, and additional resources. Here’s a condensed set of slides from the eight session on Success in The Art of Self-Coaching, a new course I’m teaching at the Stanford Graduate School of Business this Spring, and the readings for this […]
The Art of Self-Coaching @ Stanford GSB, Class 7: Unhappiness
UPDATE: See my Art of Self-Coaching archive for all current course materials, including slides, class readings, and additional resources. Here’s a condensed set of slides from the seventh session on Unhappiness in The Art of Self-Coaching, a new course I’m teaching at the Stanford Graduate School of Business this Spring, and the readings for this […]
Thoughts on Curating Academic Experiences
A colleague recently asked me about my process for managing the information I present to students in my classes, and here's my response: I'm increasingly attuned to the importance of my role as a curator for my students. It's unhelpful to simply throw a mass of undifferentiated information at them. I need to sift through […]
Realizing the Futility of Life
Realizing the Futility of Life, by Bai Juyi [Written on the walls of a priest’s cell, ca. 828] Ever since the time when I was a lusty boy Down till now when I am ill and old The things I have cared for have been different at different times But my being busy, that has […]
The Art of Self-Coaching @ Stanford GSB, Class 6: Vulnerability
UPDATE: See my Art of Self-Coaching archive for all current course materials, including slides, class readings, and additional resources. Here’s a condensed set of slides from the sixth session on Vulnerability in The Art of Self-Coaching, a new course I’m teaching at the Stanford Graduate School of Business this Spring, and the readings for this […]
David Foster Wallace, “This Is Water”
In 2005 author David Foster Wallace delivered the commencement address at Kenyon College. This thoughtful and moving talk inspires in me feelings of grief and anger and terror and hope, a response no doubt influenced by my awareness of Wallace's suicide some 40 months later in September 2008. A version of Wallace's address was subsequently […]
The Art of Self-Coaching @ Stanford GSB, Class 5: Resilience
UPDATE: See my Art of Self-Coaching archive for all current course materials, including slides, class readings, and additional resources. Here’s a condensed set of slides from the fifth session on Resilience in The Art of Self-Coaching, a new course I’m teaching at the Stanford Graduate School of Business this Spring, and the readings for this […]
The Art of Self-Coaching @ Stanford GSB, Class 4: Happiness
UPDATE: See my Art of Self-Coaching archive for all current course materials, including slides, class readings, and additional resources. Here’s a condensed set of slides from the fourth session on Happiness in The Art of Self-Coaching, a new course I’m teaching at the Stanford Graduate School of Business this Spring, and the readings for this […]
On Teaching
The irony of teaching is that it makes clear how little I truly know. The beauty of teaching is that what little I know may still be useful.
The Art of Self-Coaching @ Stanford GSB, Class 3: Emotion
UPDATE: See my Art of Self-Coaching archive for all current course materials, including slides, class readings, and additional resources. Here’s a condensed set of slides from the third session in The Art of Self-Coaching, a new course I’m teaching at the Stanford Graduate School of Business this Spring, and the readings for this session are […]