The Art of Self-Coaching (Stanford Course Archive)

Photo by Seth Anderson

Public Course: For a freely available virtual version of this course, which I initially designed and launched at Stanford in 2015, see The Art of Self-Coaching (Public Course).

The Public Course archive includes an agenda and instructions for each class session, webinar recordings, my slides, and links to all course readings. (In the case of copyrighted materials I obtained permission from the copyright holders to share their materials in this free course.) The purpose of the Public Course archive is to allow anyone to take the course at their own pace–all they need to provide is a partner.

Stanford Archive: This page is an archive that includes my syllabus, slides, links to course texts, and recommendations for further reading. (In the case of copyrighted materials, I typically link to the book on Amazon.) The purpose of this page is to allow my Stanford students to review my slides and explore additional readings beyond the course syllabus.

Syllabus and Class Sessions

Syllabus	6 (Fall Only): Resilience
1: Beginnings	6 (Winter/Spring): Resilience and Vulnerability
2: Change	7 (Fall Only): Vulnerability
3: Attention	7/8: Unhappiness
4: Emotion	8/9: Success
5: Happiness	9/10: Endings

OVERVIEW (Spring 2021)

The Art of Self-Coaching is a course that I designed and taught for the first time at the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) in Spring 2015. (I’m also in the process of writing a book on the subject.) I define self-coaching as the process of guiding our own growth and development, particularly through periods of transition.

From 2017 through 2020 I taught The Art of Self-Coaching three times a year, in Autumn, Winter and Spring Quarters. In 2020 I decided to return to teaching just one section in order to devote more time to my coaching clients, and today I teach the course once a year in Spring. Because of the university calendar, the Fall section has 10 class sessions, while the Winter and Spring Quarter sections have nine.

Below you can find the current syllabus, condensed versions of my slide decks, and references to course readings and related materials. (During the academic year I update the slides below with the current deck from each week’s class.)

Many thanks to the 504 GSB students who’ve taken the course so far (and whose feedback continues to make it better). I’m eager to teach it again and to work with 36 new students this Quarter.

SYLLABUS (Spring 2021)

Note: For a freely available virtual version of this course with recorded webinars, slides, and all readings, see The Art of Self-Coaching (Public Course).

CLASS 1: BEGINNINGS

Concepts

Eustress (Hans Selye) and the neuroscience of “joyful education” (Judy Willis).
Positive psychology and its limitations (Christopher Peterson).
Coaching as a form of support (Caroline Webb, Edgar Schein).

Objectives

Provide an overview of the course.
Create an environment that supports learning and growth.
Understand basic principles of coaching.
Form Personal and Professional Partnerships (which will meet throughout the Quarter).

Course Readings

Self-Coaching Is SOCIAL (Ed Batista, 2018)
Neuroscience, Joyful Learning and the SCARF Model (Ed Batista, 2010)
Pursuing the Good Life: 100 Reflections on Positive Psychology (Christopher Peterson, 2013)
- Chapter 1, pages 3-6: “What Is Positive Psychology, and What Is It Not?”
- Chapter 4, pages 14-17: “Blaming the Science Versus Blaming the Victim”
How Great Coaches Ask, Listen, and Empathize (Ed Batista, Harvard Business Review, 2012)
How to Have a Good Day: Harness the Power of Behavioral Science to Transform Your Working Life (Caroline Webb, 2016)
- Chapter 10, pages 152-163: “Bringing the Best Out of Others”
OPTIONAL: Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling (Edgar Schein, 2013)
- Chapter 3, pages 39-50: “Differentiating Humble Inquiry from Other Kinds of Inquiry”
OPTIONAL: Helping: How to Give, Offer, and Receive Help (Edgar Schein, 2009)
- Chapter 3, pages 30-47: “The Inequalities and Ambiguities of the Helping Relationship”
OPTIONAL: Scott Ginsberg on Asking (Better) Questions (Ed Batista, 2008)
OPTIONAL: Hammering Screws (Bad Coaching) (Ed Batista, 2011)
OPTIONAL: Why You Should Make Time for Self-Reflection (Even If You Hate Doing It) (Jennifer Porter, Harvard Business Review, 2017)

Other Readings

Reflecting on Work Improves Job Performance (Carmen Nobel, Harvard Business School Working Knowledge, 2014)
Does Journaling Boost Your Well-Being? (Pelin Kesebir, Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin, 2017)

This course does not provide in-depth coaching training, but a basic understanding of coaching tools and skills will allow students to get more out of the conversations they’ll have with classmates. In addition to the optional readings above, more resources can be found below:

Other Coaching Resources

The HBR Guide to Coaching Employees (2nd edition, 2015)
Coaching with the Brain in Mind: Foundations for Practice (David Rock and Linda Page, 2009)
Co-Active Coaching: New Skills for Coaching People Toward Success in Work and Life (Laura Whitworth et al, 3rd edition, 2011)

Other Posts of Mine on Coaching

CLASS 2: CHANGE

Concepts

Model of change (Kurt Lewin and Edgar Schein).
Grit (Angela Duckworth).
Mindset (Carol Dweck).
The complex effects of goal-setting.

Objectives

Reflect on changes experienced while at the GSB and your personal approach to change.
Identify goals, hopes and expectations for your remaining time at the GSB.
Consider implications of these concepts for your career after graduation.

Course Readings

Why Change is Hard (Ed Batista, 2014)
Building Blocks (A Tactical Approach to Change) (Ed Batista, 2019)
True Grit (Angela Duckworth and Lauren Eskreis-Winkler, 2013)
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance [6-minute video] (Angela Duckworth, 2013)
Fixed vs. Growth: The Two Basic Mindsets That Shape Our Lives (Maria Popova, Brain Pickings, 2014)
- A discussion of the work of Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck.
Babies, Bathwater and Goal-Setting (Ed Batista, 2012)
OPTIONAL: What Having a “Growth Mindset” Actually Means (Carol Dweck, Harvard Business Review, 2016)
OPTIONAL: Is Grit Overrated? (Jerry Useem, The Atlantic, 2016)
OPTIONAL: Angela Duckworth Responds to a New Critique of Grit (Anya Kamenetz, NPR, 2016)
OPTIONAL: Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance (Angela Duckworth, 2016)
- Chapter 5 (excerpt), pages 89-92 (“If grit can grow, how does that happen?”)

Other Readings

Kurt Lewin’s Change Theory in the Field and in the Classroom (Edgar Schein, Systems Practice working paper, 1995)
Frontiers in Group Dynamics (Kurt Lewin, 1947)

Mindset

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (Carol Dweck, 2007)
Carol Dweck Revisits the “Growth Mindset” (Carol Dweck, Education Week, 2015)
The Effort Effect (Marina Krakovsky, Stanford Magazine, 2007)
Growth Mindset in Context: Content and Culture Matter Too (David Dockterman and Lisa Blackwell, International Center for Leadership in Education, 2014)

Habits and routines

The Power of Habit (Charles Duhigg, 2014)
Thinking, Fast and Slow (Daniel Kahneman, 2011)
Jerry Seinfeld’s Productivity Secret (Gina Trapani, 2007)
The Power of Small Wins (Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer, Harvard Business Review, 2011)
The Progress Principle (Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer, 2011)

Grit

Is “Grit” Really the Key to Success? (Daniel Engber, Slate, 2016)
The Limits of Grit (David Denby, The New Yorker, 2016)
Grit: Bringing Passion Back (Scott Barry Kaufman, Scientific American, 2018)

Goals

Has Goal Setting Gone Wild, or Have Its Attackers Abandoned Good Scholarship? (Edwin Locke and Gary Latham, Academy of Management Perspectives, 2009)
Goal attainment seems to be about avoiding temptation, not exercising willpower (Christian Jarrett, BPS Research Digest, 2016)

Other topics

Against Willpower (Carl Erik Wilson, Nautilus, 2017)
A daily cold shower seems to have some psychological benefits (Alex Fradera, BPS Research Digest, 2016)
The Problem with Hack Culture (Brad Stulberg, Medium, 2016)
Are You Hitting Your Limit, or Getting Stronger? The Power of Reinterpreting Mental Effort (Alissa Mrazek, Behavioral Scientist, 2019)

Related Posts of Mine

CLASS 3: ATTENTION

Concepts

System 1 and System 2 (Daniel Kahneman).
Mental control (Daniel Wegner).
Continuous partial attention (Linda Stone).
Focus and presence (Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness).

Objectives

Consider the importance of attention as a resource.
Understand the different modes of thinking in Kahneman’s framework.
Consider difficulties in the process of mental control.
Begin to explore the relationship between attention and emotion (the topic of Class 4).

Course Readings

A Better Information Diet (Ed Batista, 2019)
White Bears and Other Unwanted Thoughts: Suppression, Obsession, and the Psychology of Mental Control (Daniel Wegner, 1994)
- Chapter 1, pages 1-18: “Mental Control”
Beyond Simple Multi-Tasking: Continuous Partial Attention (Linda Stone, 2009)
Peak Performance: Elevate Your Game, Avoid Burnout, and Thrive with the New Science of Success (Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness, 2017)
- Chapter 3 (excerpt), pages 53-64: “Stress Yourself”
Don’t Just Do Something, Sit There! (Mindfulness for Busy People) (Ed Batista, 2017)
OPTIONAL: You’re Not Multi-Tasking, You’re Half-Assing (Ed Batista, 2016)
OPTIONAL: The Marshmallow Test for Grownups (Ed Batista, 2014)
OPTIONAL: Developing Mindful Leaders for the C-Suite (Bill George, Harvard Business Review, 2014)
OPTIONAL: Thinking, Fast and Slow (Daniel Kahneman, 2011)
- Chapter 1, pages 19-30: “The Characters of the Story”
- Chapter 2, pages 31-38: “Attention and Effort”
- Chapter 3, pages 39-49: “The Lazy Controller”
For further reading:
- Thinking, Fast and Slow (Kahneman), Chapters 4-9, pages 50-105
- White Bears and Other Unwanted Thoughts (Wegner), Chapters 4-7, pages 58-140

Other Readings

Mindfulness and meditation

Arriving at Your Own Door: 108 Lessons in Mindfulness (Jon Kabat-Zinn, 2007)
Mindfulness Meditation for Pain Relief (Jon Kabat-Zinn, 2010)
Full Catastrophe Living (Jon Kabat-Zinn, 2013)
Self-Directed Neuroplasticity: A 21st Century View of Meditation (Rick Hanson, 2011)
Self-Directed Neuroplasticity [Slide deck] (Rick Hanson)
Meditation Techniques for People Who Hate Meditation (Stephanie Vozza, Fast Company, 2014)
26 Scientifically Proven Superhuman Benefits of Meditation (Jon Brooks, ComfortPit, 2014) Note: The clickbait-headline is unfortunate, but this post discusses and links to a number of compelling resources.)
This is what eight weeks of mindfulness training does to your brain (Christian Jarrett, BPS Research Digest, 2016)
Eight weeks to a better brain (Sue McGreevy, The Harvard Gazette, 2011)
A Mindful Approach to Time Management (Leah Weiss & Laura Vanderkam, Heleo, 2017)
The Neuroscience of Leadership (David Rock and Jeffrey Schwartz, Strategy + Business, 2006)

Attention and emotion

Daniel Wegner’s work on mental control and thought suppression
Mind Sculpture: Unlocking Your Brain’s Untapped Potential (Ian Robertson, 2000)
Attention Surplus Disorder (Anxiety and Distraction) (Ed Batista, 2018)

Distraction

Continuous Partial Attention (Linda Stone)
- Supernova 2005: Attention (Nat Torkington on Linda Stone’s address, Radar, 2005)
- Linda Stone on Continuous Partial Attention (Ross Mayfield on Linda Stone’s address, 2005)
- ETech: Linda Stone (Nat Torkington on Linda Stone’s address, Radar, 2006)
Stop Letting Push Notifications Ruin Your Productivity (Steve Glaveski, Harvard Business Review, 2019)
The Two Things Killing Your Ability To Focus (William Treseder, Harvard Business Review, 2016)
I Used To Be A Human Being (Technology Almost Killed Me) (Andrew Sullivan, New York, 2016)
Generation Adderall (Casey Schwartz, The New York Times Magazine, 2016)
How Does Adderall Work? (Emma Myers, Columbia Science Review, 2013)
The Adderall Me: My romance with ADHD meds (Joshua Foer, Slate, 2005)
Brief Diversions Vastly Improve Focus (Science Daily, 2011)
Does Mind-Wandering Make You Unhappy? (Matt Killingsworth, Greater Good Science Center, U.C. Berkeley, 2013)
The Invisible Manipulators of Your Mind (Tamsin Shaw, The New York Review of Books, 2017)
Subtle and insidious, technology is designed to addict us (Tim Wu, Washington Post, 2017)
Nir Eyal: The Psychology of Building Addictive Products (Sylvia Li Sam, Medium, 2016)
Our Minds Can Be Hijacked: The Tech Insiders Who Fear a Smartphone Dystopia (Paul Lewis, The Guardian, 2017)
How Smartphones Hijack Our Minds ($) (Nicholas Carr, The Wall Street Journal, 2017)
In Defense of Distraction (Sam Anderson, New York, 2009)
Who Multi-Tasks and Why? Multi-Tasking Ability, Perceived Multi-Tasking Ability, Impulsivity, and Sensation-Seeking (David Sanbonmatsu, David Strayer, Nathan Madeiros-Ward, and Jason Watson, PLOS ONE, January 2013)

Cognitive biases

Cognitive Bias Cheat Sheet (Buster Benson, Medium, 2016)
Cognitive Bias Codex (Design Hacks, 2017)

Other topics

How Being a Workaholic Differs from Working Long Hours–and Why That Matters for Your Health (Lieke ten Brummelhuis and Nancy Rothbard, Harvard Business Review, 2018)

Related Posts of Mine

CLASS 4: EMOTION

Concepts

Emotional style (Richard Davidson).
Emotion and reason (Antonio Damasio).
Prefrontal functions (Daniel Siegel).

Objectives

Reflect on your Emotional Style and its impact on your life and career.
Understand the role of emotions, particularly in reasoning and decision-making.
Identify strengths to maintain and potential changes to consider.

Course Readings

Emotional Style Assessment and Assessment Scoring (Richard Davidson)

(This instrument is reproduced in Chapter 3 of Davidson.)
Download, complete and score the assessment (consisting of 60 true/false questions) BEFORE doing this week’s readings.
You will not be required to share your results, but bring a copy to class.

The Emotional Life of Your Brain: How Its Unique Patterns Affect the Way You Think, Feel, and Live—and How You Can Change Them (Richard Davidson, 2012)

Chapter 1, pages 1-12: “One Brain Does Not Fit All”
Chapter 3, pages 43-65: “Assessing Your Emotional Style”
For further reading: Chapter 11, pages 225-252: “Rewired, or Neurally Inspired Exercises to Change Your Emotional Style”

Antonio Damasio on Emotion and Reason (Part 1: Overview) (Ed Batista, 2011)
- OPTIONAL: Part 2: Underlying Questions, Part 3, Conclusions and Part 4: Excerpts.
- Please note that only Part 1: Overview is required reading for this class.
Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation (Daniel Siegel, 2009)

Introduction, pages ix-xvi
Chapter 2, pages 23-44: “Crepes of Wrath: Mindsight Lost and Found”

The Map Is Not the Territory (Ed Batista, 2016)
- This reading will be relevant for Weeks 4, 5 and 6. Refer back to it as needed.
OPTIONAL: To Stay Focused, Manage Your Emotions (Ed Batista, 2015)
OPTIONAL: Talking About Feelings (Ed Batista, 2018)
OPTIONAL: How Our Brains Feel Emotion [9-minute video] (Antonio Damasio, 2010)

Other Readings Referenced in Class

Descartes’ Error: Emotion, Reason and the Human Brain (Antonio Damasio)
The Emotional Brain: The Mysterious Underpinnings of Emotional Life (Joseph LeDoux)
Why We Feel: The Science of Human Emotions (Victor Johnston)

Other Readings

Emotion management

Twitter Study Confirms the Power of “Affect Labeling” (Christian Jarrett, BPS Research Digest, 2019)

The role of emotions

Do Emotions Help or Hurt Decision Making? (Kathleen Vohs, Roy Baumeister and George Lowenstein, editors, 2007)
Mind Sculpture: Unlocking Your Brain’s Untapped Potential (Ian Robertson, 2000)
Daniel Wegner’s work on mental control and thought suppression
Why Do We Feel Awe? (Dacher Keltner, Greater Good Science Center/UC Berkeley, 2016)
The Compassionate Brain (Gerald Hüther, 2006)

Mindfulness

Arriving at Your Own Door: 108 Lessons in Mindfulness (Jon Kabat-Zinn, 2007)
Mindfulness Meditation for Pain Relief (Jon Kabat-Zinn, 2010)
Full Catastrophe Living (Jon Kabat-Zinn, 2013)
Self-Directed Neuroplasticity: A 21st Century View of Meditation (Rick Hanson, 2011)
Self-Directed Neuroplasticity [Slide deck] (Rick Hanson)

Exercise

Walking lifts your mood, even when you don’t expect it to (Christian Jarrett, BPS Research Digest, 2016)
The Nature Principle: Reconnecting with Life in a Virtual Age (Richard Louv)
To Fight the Winter Blues, Try a Dose of Nature (Florence Williams, The Wall Street Journal, 2017)
The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier and More Creative (Florence Williams)
The First 20 Minutes: Surprising Science Reveals How We Can Exercise Better, Train Smarter, Live Longer (Gretchen Reynolds)
Need A Self-Control Boost? Get Outside (Jessica Stillman, Inc., 2014)
Changing Our Brains, Changing Ourselves (an interview with Richard Davidson)

Sleep

Great Leaders Sleep Well–Why Rest Is Critical for Success (Ronnie Hendel-Giller, 2018)
There’s a Proven Link Between Effective Leadership and Getting Enough Sleep (Nick van Dam and Els van der Helm, Harvard Business Review, 2016)
Relax, Turn Off Your Phone, and Go To Sleep (Larry Rosen, Harvard Business Review, 2015)
You Can’t Do Your Job if You Don’t Sleep (Tony Schwartz, Harvard Business Review, 2012)
Sleep Is More Important Than Food (Tony Schwartz, Harvard Business Review, 2011)
Sleep-Deprived Leaders are Less Inspiring (Christopher Barnes, Harvard Business Review, 2016)
Senior Leaders Get More Sleep Than Anyone Else (Rasmus Hougaard & Jacqueline Carter, Harvard Business Review, 2018)
The Science of Sleep: Dreaming, Depression and How REM Sleep Regulates Negative Emotions (Maria Popova, Brain Pickings, 2012)

Other topics

Language in Thought and Action (S. I. Hayakawa, 1949 [Fifth Edition, 1991])
Why Your Late Twenties Is the Worst Time of Your Life (Ran Zilca, Harvard Business Review, 2016)

Related Posts of Mine

CLASS 5: HAPPINESS

Concepts

Sources of happiness and hedonic adaptation (Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ed Diener and Christopher Peterson).

Objectives

Understand various sources of happiness as determined by social psychologists.
Identify “happiness strategies” likely to be most suitable for you.
Consider the limitations of current positive psychology research.

Course Readings

The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want (Sonja Lyubomirsky, 2007)
- Chapter 2 (excerpt), pages 38-68, “How Happy Are You and Why?”
- Chapter 3, pages 69-79, “How to Find Happiness Activities That Fit Your Interests, Your Values, and Your Needs”
Understanding “The Pie Chart” in The How of Happiness (Ed Batista, 2017)
- It’s important to avoid common misinterpretations of positive psychology research. If you find this reading insufficient, the optional readings by Peterson and Diener below discuss this topic in greater detail.
Activity Fit Diagnostic (Sonja Lyubomirsky)

Download and complete the diagnostic AFTER completing the readings above.
You will not be required to share your results, but bring a copy to class.

VIA Survey of Character Strengths
- After reading this introduction to this instrument, follow the instructions to register at the VIA Institute site in order to complete the survey 120-question version of this instrument.
- You will not be required to share your results, but bring a copy to class.
OPTIONAL: Pursuing the Good Life: 100 Reflections on Positive Psychology (Christopher Peterson, 2013)
- Chapter 21, pages 71-74, “Heritability and Happiness“
OPTIONAL: The Science of Subjective Well-Being (Michael Eid and Randy Larson, editors, 2008)

Chapter 24, pages 493-507: “Myths in the Science of Happiness” (Ed Diener)

OPTIONAL: Meaning Is Healthier than Happiness (Emily Esfahani Smith, 2013)

Other Readings and Materials

Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification (Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman)
Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment (Martin Seligman)
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi)
The Nicomachean Ethics (Aristotle)
The Science of Happiness (Ed Diener)
Decoding Keys to a Healthy Life (Alvin Powell)
Man’s Search for Meaning (Viktor Frankl)
Genetic vs. Heritable Trait (Razib Khan)
What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness (Robert Waldinger)
What Is More Important for National Well-Being: Money or Autonomy? (Ronald Fischer and Diana Boer, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2011)
Self-Compassion (Kristin Neff) Note: Neff is a psychology professor at the University of Texas whose research and writing has focused on the topic of self-compassion, and her site provides a range of related resources.
- Test How Self-Compassionate You Are
- Why Self-Compassion Works Better Than Self Esteem (Olga Kazan, The Atlantic, 2016, interview with Kristin Neff)

Related Posts of Mine

CLASS 6 (Fall Only): RESILIENCE

Concepts

Components of resilience and Resilience Quotient (Karen Reivich and Andrew Shatté).
Mindset and stress (Carol Dweck, Kelly McGonigal, Brad Stulberg, and Steve Magness).

Objectives

Determine your Resilience Quotient.
Identify current sources of resilience as well more effective ways of coping with setbacks.

Course Readings

Resilience Quotient Assessment (Karen Reivich and Andrew Shatté)
Resilience Quotient Assessment Scoring

(This instrument is reproduced in Chapter 2 of Reivich and Shatté.)
Download and complete the assessment (consisting of 56 questions), and download and complete the assessment scoring BEFORE doing this week’s readings.
You will not be required to share your results, but bring a copy to class.

The Resilience Factor: 7 Keys to Finding Your Inner Strength and Overcoming Life’s Hurdles (Karen Reivich and Andrew Shatté, 2002)
- Chapter 2, pages 31-47, “How Resilient Are You?”
- OPTIONAL: Chapter 3, pages 48-62, “Laying the Groundwork”
Peak Performance: Elevate Your Game, Avoid Burnout, and Thrive with the New Science of Success (Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness, 2017)
- Chapter 3 (excerpt), pages 65-74: “Stress Yourself”
Resilience Stories

Download and complete this worksheet AFTER doing this week’s readings.
You will not be required to share your worksheet, but you will be conducting an exercise that involves disclosing some aspect of your response. Bring a copy to class.

OPTIONAL: Embracing Stress Is More Important Than Reducing Stress (Clifton Parker, 2015, discussing recent work by Stanford psychologist Kelly McGonigal)
OPTIONAL: How to Make Stress Your Friend [14-minute video] (Kelly McGonigal, 2013)
OPTIONAL: MIND Reviews “The Upside of Stress” (Robert Epstein, 2015)
OPTIONAL: Bouncing Back: Rewiring Your Brain for Maximum Resilience and Well-Being (Linda Graham, 2013)
- Chapter 2, pages 29-45, “How the Wiring In of Resilience Can Go Awry”

Other Readings

The Power of Resilience (Robert Brooks and Sam Goldstein)
Overworked and Overwhelmed: The Mindfulness Alternative (Scott Eblin)
True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership (Bill George and Peter Sims)
Crucibles of Leadership (Warren Bennis and Robert J. Thomas, Harvard Business Review, 2002)
Becoming Attached: First Relationships and How They Shape Our Capacity to Love (Robert Karen)
Attachment Styles and Close Relationships (assessment designed by R. Chris Fraley)
Fake it ’til you become it: Amy Cuddy’s power poses, visualized (Helen Walters, TEDBlog)
Amy Cuddy Takes a Stand (David Hochman)
The Power of the “Power Pose” (Andrew Gelman and Kaiser Fung, Slate, 2016) Note: I don’t make extensive use of Cuddy’s concept of “power posing” in this class, but I do reference it, so I think it’s important to also present this critique.
Sheryl Sandberg, UC Berkeley Commencement (2016)
One Motivational Technique That Really Works (Christopher Bergland, Psychology Today, 2016)
The Worry Cure: Seven Steps to Stop Worry from Stopping You (Robert Leahy, 2006)
Resilience isn’t just being tough; it’s a skill you can develop (Steven Petrow, Washington Post, 2017)
When a Stress Expert Battles Mental Illness (Brad Stulberg, Outside, 2018)

Related Posts of Mine

CLASS 6 (Winter & Spring): RESILIENCE & VULNERABILITY

Concepts

Components of resilience and Resilience Quotient (Karen Reivich and Andrew Shatté).
Definitions of vulnerability and shame (Brené Brown).

Objectives

Determine your Resilience Quotient.
Identify current sources of resilience as well more effective ways of coping with setbacks.
Consider strategies for expressing vulnerability and overcoming shame effectively.

Course Readings

Resilience Quotient Assessment and Assessment Scoring (Karen Reivich and Andrew Shatté)

This instrument is reproduced in Chapter 2 of Reivich and Shatté.
Download, complete and score the assessment (consisting of 56 questions) BEFORE doing this week’s readings.
You will not be required to share your results, but bring a copy to class.

The Resilience Factor: 7 Keys to Finding Your Inner Strength and Overcoming Life’s Hurdles (Karen Reivich and Andrew Shatté, 2002)
- Chapter 2, pages 31-47, “How Resilient Are You?”
- OPTIONAL: Chapter 3, pages 48-62, “Laying the Groundwork”
Resilience Worksheet
- Download and complete this worksheet AFTER reading Reivich and Shatté.
- You will not be required to share your worksheet, but you will be discussing aspects of with a group of your classmates. Bring a copy to class.
Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead (Brené Brown)
- Chapter 2, pages 33-56, “Debunking the Vulnerability Myths”
- For further reading: Chapter 3, page 61-111, “Understanding and Combating Shame”
Brené Brown, Vulnerability, Empathy and Leadership (Ed Batista)
Vulnerability Stories
- Download and complete this worksheet AFTER doing this week’s required readings.
- You will not be required to share your worksheet, but you will be conducting an exercise that involves disclosing some aspect of your response. Bring a copy to class.
OPTIONAL: Peak Performance: Elevate Your Game, Avoid Burnout, and Thrive with the New Science of Success (Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness, 2017)
- Chapter 3 (excerpt), pages 65-74: “Stress Yourself”
OPTIONAL: Embracing Stress Is More Important Than Reducing Stress (Clifton Parker, discussing recent work by Stanford psychologist Kelly McGonigal.)
OPTIONAL: “When You Don’t Like What You Feel: Experiential avoidance, mindfulness, and meta-emotion in emotion regulation” (Horst Mitmansgruber, Thomas Beck, Stefan Höfer, Gerhard Schüßler)

Other Readings

Resilience

Bouncing Back: Rewiring Your Brain for Maximum Resilience and Well-Being (Linda Graham, 2013)
- Chapter 2, pages 29-45, “How the Wiring In of Resilience Can Go Awry”
How to Make Stress Your Friend [14-minute video] (Kelly McGonigal, 2013)
MIND Reviews “The Upside of Stress” (Robert Epstein, 2015)
The Power of Resilience (Robert Brooks and Sam Goldstein)
Overworked and Overwhelmed: The Mindfulness Alternative (Scott Eblin)
True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership (Bill George and Peter Sims)
Crucibles of Leadership (Warren Bennis and Robert J. Thomas, Harvard Business Review, 2002)
Becoming Attached: First Relationships and How They Shape Our Capacity to Love (Robert Karen)
Attachment Styles and Close Relationships (assessment designed by R. Chris Fraley)
Fake it ’til you become it: Amy Cuddy’s power poses, visualized (Helen Walters, TEDBlog)
Amy Cuddy Takes a Stand (David Hochman)
The Power of the “Power Pose” (Andrew Gelman and Kaiser Fung, Slate, 2016) Note: I don’t make extensive use of Cuddy’s concept of “power posing” in this class, but I do reference it, so I think it’s important to also present this critique.
Sheryl Sandberg, UC Berkeley Commencement (2016)
One Motivational Technique That Really Works (Christopher Bergland, Psychology Today, 2016)
The Worry Cure: Seven Steps to Stop Worry from Stopping You (Robert Leahy, 2006)
Resilience isn’t just being tough; it’s a skill you can develop (Steven Petrow, Washington Post, 2017)
When a Stress Expert Battles Mental Illness (Brad Stulberg, Outside, 2018)

Vulnerability & Meta-Emotion

Parental Meta-Emotion Philosophy and the Emotional Life of Families: Theoretical Models and Preliminary Data (John Gottman, Lynn Fainsilber Katz, Carole Hooven)
The Concept of “Metaemotion”: What is There to Learn From Research on Metacognition? (Elisabeth Norman & Bjarte Furnes)
How to Express Empathy: Avoid the Traps! (Michael Sahota)
You Took An Emotional Risk, Now What? (Elizabeth Bernstein, The Wall Street Journal, 2016)

Related Posts of Mine

Resilience

Vulnerability

CLASS 7 (Fall Only): VULNERABILITY

Concepts

Definitions of vulnerability and shame (Brené Brown).
Meta-emotion (John Gottman, Horst Mitmansgruber, et al).

Objectives

Consider strategies for expressing vulnerability and overcoming shame effectively.

Course Readings

Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead (Brené Brown)
- Chapter 2, pages 33-56, “Debunking the Vulnerability Myths”
- For further reading: Chapter 3, page 61-111, “Understanding and Combating Shame”
Brené Brown, Vulnerability, Empathy and Leadership (Ed Batista)
Vulnerability Stories

Download and complete this worksheet AFTER doing this week’s readings.
You will not be required to share your worksheet, but you will be conducting an exercise that involves disclosing some aspect of your response. Bring a copy to class.

Meta-Emotions

Download and complete this worksheet AFTER doing this week’s readings.
You will not be required to share your worksheet, but you will be conducting an exercise that involves disclosing some aspect of your response. Bring a copy to class.

OPTIONAL: “When You Don’t Like What You Feel: Experiential avoidance, mindfulness, and meta-emotion in emotion regulation” (Horst Mitmansgruber, Thomas Beck, Stefan Höfer, Gerhard Schüßler)

Other Readings

Parental Meta-Emotion Philosophy and the Emotional Life of Families: Theoretical Models and Preliminary Data (John Gottman, Lynn Fainsilber Katz, Carole Hooven)
The Concept of “Metaemotion”: What is There to Learn From Research on Metacognition? (Elisabeth Norman & Bjarte Furnes)
How to Express Empathy: Avoid the Traps! (Michael Sahota)
You Took An Emotional Risk, Now What? (Elizabeth Bernstein, The Wall Street Journal, 2016)

Related Posts of Mine

CLASS 7 (Winter & Spring) / CLASS 8 (Fall): UNHAPPINESS

Concepts

Stoicism (Oliver Burkeman).
Buddhist thought (Pema Chödrön).
Logotherapy (Viktor Frankl).

Objectives

Consider a range of approaches to dealing with setbacks and difficulties.

Course Readings

The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking (Oliver Burkeman)
- Chapter 2, pages 23-50, “What Would Seneca Do?”
When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times (Pema Chödrön)
- Chapter 11, pages 84-94, “Nonaggression and the Four Maras”
- Chapter 21, pages 177-183, “Reversing the Wheel of Samsara”
- Note that if you find Chödrön too abstract, the optional reading by Burkeman below provides a more accessible introduction to Buddhist thought.
Man’s Search for Meaning (Viktor Frankl)

Pages 108-115: “The Meaning of Life,” “The Essence of Existence,” “The Meaning of Love,” and “The Meaning of Suffering”

Sources of Unhappiness
- Download and complete this worksheet AFTER doing this week’s readings.
- You will not be required to share your worksheet, but you will be conducting an exercise that involves disclosing some aspect of your response. Bring a copy to class.
OPTIONAL: The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking (Oliver Burkeman)

Chapter 3, pages 51-74, “The Storm Before the Calm”

OPTIONAL: How I Read Stoicism (Ed Batista, 2018)
OPTIONAL: Viktor Frankl at Ninety: An Interview (Matthew Scully)
OPTIONAL: Pain, Suffering, and Hedonic Adaptation (Ed Batista)

Other Readings

Dialogues and Letters (Seneca)
Letters from a Stoic (Seneca)
On the Shortness of Life (Seneca)
- While Seneca is a minor figure in this syllabus, his treatises and dialogues have had a significant influence on my approach to ethical conduct, emotion regulation and self-management. But classics scholars struggle to reconcile these Stoic works with his tragedies, which offer a radically different view of the world. For a better understanding of this debate, I highly recommend the work of James Romm, which I discuss briefly in How I Read Stoicism:
- A Stoic in Nero’s Court (James Romm)
- Dying Every Day: Seneca at the Court of Nero (James Romm)
Meditations (Marcus Aurelius)
- It’s important to find a translation that feels right for you–I like these three:
- Oxford University Press (1998)
  - This reissue of A.S.L. Farquharson’s 1944 translation includes an outstanding introduction by R.B. Rutherford.
- Penguin Classics (2006)
  - This recent translation by Martin Hammond has a more contemporary feel and is extensively annotated.
- Dover Thrift (1997)
  - This classic 1862 translation by George Long doesn’t have any extras, but it’s a slender, inexpensive volume. Note that this translation is also freely available online.
Enchiridion (Epictetus)
Discourses and Selected Writings (Epictetus)
Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living (Pema Chödrön)
Comfortable with Uncertainty: 108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion (Pema Chödrön)
What Took You So Long? (Sheldon Kopp & Claire Flanders)
Radical Acceptance (Tara Brach)
There’s More to Life than Being Happy (Emily Esfahani Smith)
Viktor Frankl on the Human Search for Meaning (Maria Popova)
Kierkegaard on Our Greatest Source of Unhappiness (Maria Popova)
The Consolations of Philosophy (Alain de Botton)
How Happy Brains Respond to Negative Things (Summer Allen & Jeremy Adam Smith, Greater Good Science Center, UC Berkeley, 2016)
The Situation is Hopeless, But Not Serious (The Pursuit of Unhappiness) (Paul Watzlawick, 1993)

Related Posts of Mine

CLASS 8 (Winter & Spring) / CLASS 9 (Fall): SUCCESS

Concepts

Popular beliefs about success, fulfillment, and happiness, and sources of social comparison.

Objectives

Prepare for the challenges that accompany professional struggles and success.

Course Readings

This Is Water (David Foster Wallace)
The Myths of Happiness: What Should Make You Happy, But Doesn’t, What Shouldn’t Make You Happy, But Does (Sonja Lyubomirsky)
- Chapter 5, pages 115-143, “I’ll Be Happy When…I Find the Right Job”
- For further reading: Chapter 7, pages 163-181, “I’ll Be Happy When…I’m Rich”
Managing Oneself Worksheet
- Download and complete this worksheet. You can explore the concepts behind it in greater depth via the optional reading below.
- You will not be required to share your worksheet, but you will participate in an exercise that involves disclosing some aspect of your response. Bring a copy to class.
OPTIONAL: Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)
OPTIONAL: The Trap of Competition (Ed Batista)

Other Readings

The Courage To Be Disliked (Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga, 2018)
Debunking the Myths of Happiness (Jason Marsh Interview with Sonja Lyubomirsky)
Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment (Martin Seligman)
The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want (Sonja Lyubomirsky)
The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick) (Seth Godin)
Wealthy, Successful and Miserable (Charles Duhigg, The New York Times, 2019)

Related Posts of Mine

CLASS 9 (Winter & Spring) / CLASS 10 (Fall): ENDINGS

Concepts

Transitions vs. changes (William Bridges).

Objectives

Prepare for graduation, returning to full-time work, and other impending transitions.
Acknowledge the endings of the coaching partnerships and other relationships within the class.

Course Readings

William Bridges on Transitions (Ed Batista)
OPTIONAL: Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes (William Bridges)
- Chapter 4 (excerpt), pages 77-92, “Transitions in the Work Life”
- Chapter 5 (excerpt), pages 107-123: “Endings”
Pursuing the Good Life: 100 Reflections on Positive Psychology (Christopher Peterson)
- Chapter 89, pages 291-294, “I Resolve to Take Benjamin Franklin Seriously”
Learning How to Learn (Ed Batista)
The Final Third (On Mortality, Values and Spending Time) (Ed Batista)
OPTIONAL: A Checklist for Someone About to Take on a Tougher Job (Ed Batista)

Other Readings

Psychology: Briefer Course (William James)
Meditations (Marcus Aurelius)
- It’s important to find a translation that feels right for you–I like these three:
- Oxford University Press (1998)
  - This reissue of A.S.L. Farquharson’s 1944 translation includes an outstanding introduction by R.B. Rutherford.
- Penguin Classics (2006)
  - This recent translation by Martin Hammond has a more contemporary feel and is extensively annotated.
- Dover Thrift (1997)
  - This classic 1862 translation by George Long doesn’t have any extras, but it’s a slender, inexpensive volume. Note that this translation is also freely available online.

Related Posts of Mine