Eric M. Bailey: Named 'Diversity Leader of the Year' by the Diversity Leadership Alliance

02/21/23 • 52 min

A fun and fascinating conversation with Eric M. Bailey, bestselling author of The Cure for Stupidity: Using Brain Science to Explain Irrational Behavior and President of Bailey Strategic Innovation Group, one of the fastest-growing human communication consulting firms in the United States.
Eric was recently named Diversity Leader of the Year by the Diversity Leadership Alliance. In this episode of Coaches on Zoom Drinking Coffee, Coaching.com CEO Alex Pascal asks him to debunk some myths about what bias means and explain how people who confront their biases have greater opportunities for control and creativity.
As an expert on human behavior, connection, and communication, Eric had insights to share on how we can interrupt our thought cycles and move beyond our initial unhelpful reactions to stressful situations. Using road rage as an example, he provides practical tips you can apply right away to avoid holding onto the frustration you feel at the behavior of others.
One of the major conversations currently taking place in our culture is around political correctness and a perceived increase in the general population’s sensitivity levels. During their discussion, Eric and Alex consider whether beloved shows like Seinfeld could be shown today - and whether it’s really a negative thing if we’ve evolved past certain media.
To learn how to help people move beyond defensiveness into an open, curious mindset where they’re able to embrace diversity, listen to the full conversation.

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Ann Betz: Co-Founder of BEabove Leadership, International Speaker and Trainer

A deep dive into neuroscience and coaching with Ann Betz, cofounder of BEabove leadership and international speaker and trainer. Ann has been an early adopter of neuroscience in the coaching industry since 2010, so Coaching.com CEO Alex Pascal takes this opportunity to find out how she believes this knowledge can be best used to enhance the profession.
In this conversation, Ann explains why she believes neuroscience has an expansionist effect on her coaching practice. She provides examples of how it has brought inspiration to her work and opened up new creative opportunities.
One of the concerns coaches have about integrating neuroscience into their practice is that they don’t want sessions to become academic lectures. Ann addresses this concern in this episode, giving practical guidance on how to find a balance between sharing the “why” and overwhelming clients with unnecessary information.
Recognizing that there are now many neuroscience programs for coaches to choose from, Ann also gives advice on choosing the correct course - one that’s both accurate and easy to apply. One red flag would be a program leader that focuses on the “typical brain,” for example, as Ann believes we are all (to some extent) neurotypical.
From Ann’s perspective, neuroscience has helped take her coaching from “just a thought” to a true exploration of reality. Find out how she uses science as a means to orchestrate conversion by subscribing and listening to this episode.

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Amy Sandler: Chief Content Officer - Radical Candor, LLC

An enlightening conversation with Amy Sandler: professional speaker, executive coach, and corporate mindfulness trainer. Amy was one of the first 30 people chosen by Google in 2007 to deliver the mindfulness based emotional intelligence training program Search Inside Yourself. She is currently serving as chief content officer and coach at Radical Candor.
An early adopter of mindfulness and spiritual development in executive coaching, Amy has since built a career from sharing these practices. In this episode of Coaches on Zoom Drinking Coffee, she explains how important it is to catch what a purely rational approach to coaching would otherwise miss.
Of course, encouraging CEOs to open their hearts and invest time and energy on spiritual development can be a challenge. During their discussion, Amy talks about how she meets these people where they are, often using data and science to justify more spiritually-inclined activities.
One of the topics Amy discusses with Coaching.com CEO Alex Pascal is her work with Radical Candor, which basically asks “how can I succeed at work without being a jerk?”. According to Amy, it’s all about finding the right balance between caring for people and challenging them.
Care and challenge may look different to different people, though. Talking through the Radical Candor framework, Amy shares examples of how obnoxious aggression, manipulative sincerity, and ruinous empathy show up at work.
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To learn more about how Amy herself is working to overcome people-pleasing and perfectionism through her own personal spiritual curriculum, listen to the full episode.

Coaches on Zoom Drinking Coffee - Eric M. Bailey: Named 'Diversity Leader of the Year' by the Diversity Leadership Alliance

Transcript

Coaches on Zoom Drinking Coffee - Eric Bailey
(interview blurb)
Eric: Acknowledging your biases is the best way to start to choose intentional behaviors outside of them. So, only when you become aware of your biases can you start to be intentional about your behaviors, because bias and behavior aren’t the same thing. Yes, it’s my bias to sign things with my dominant hand but I don’t have to. Now that I’m aware of that, I can choose to sign my name with my non-dominant hand and ma