Coach-Like Leadership in Times of Crisis, with Michael Bungay Stanier

03/16/20 • 22 min

Meeting Strategist - Conversations on Leadership & Communication

Michael Bungay Stanier and I joined forces today to discuss the Corona-crisis and how it affects the world of work and leadership.

Michael is the author of the best-selling coaching and leadership book ‘The Coaching Habit’, which teaches leaders how to empower their colleagues to do their best work.

But is there even a place for this kind of leadership in these unprecedented times of crisis? As some organizations are fighting for survival, it might feel tempting to cancel all non-essential communications, switch to crisis management and forget about being coach-like.

Good idea? Probably not. But how do you have coaching conversations when you are not in the same room and are not running into each other in the hallway? How can we leverage online tools? Does it require a different coaching approach?

This is a short impromptu podcast conversation to provide guidance in these crazy times. In April, we will record a longer episode to dive deep into Michael’s new book ‘The Advice Trap’.

To learn more about Michael’s work, check out the links in the show notes: http://www.meetingstrategist.org/michael-bungay-stanier

Michael Bungay Stanier and I joined forces today to discuss the Corona-crisis and how it affects the world of work and leadership.

Michael is the author of the best-selling coaching and leadership book ‘The Coaching Habit’, which teaches leaders how to empower their colleagues to do their best work.

This is a short impromptu podcast conversation to provide guidance in these crazy times. In April, we will record a longer episode to dive deep into Michael’s new book ‘The Advice Trap’.

To learn more about Michael’s work, check out the links in the show notes: http://www.meetingstrategist.org/michael-bungay-stanier

Previous Episode

Finding Confidence in Conflict, with Kwame Christian - MS014

Kwame Christian is an attorney, mediator and the director of the American Negotiation Institute, which organizes workshops to help people navigate difficult conversations at work and at home. Kwame is also the host of the top ranked negotiation podcast Negotiate Anything, and the author of ‘Nobody will play with me, using compassionate curiosity to find confidence in conflict’.

In our conversation, Kwame explains why he chooses to live in a constant state of conflict. We also discuss why women need their own negotiation podcast, how preparation can help to find confidence in conflict and why slowing down is critical to success in difficult conversations.

Here are some of the episode’s highlights with timestamps:

0:49 – How Kwame turned from an outcast into a pleaser, avoiding conflict at all cost
14:20 –Prescriptive vs. descriptive stereotypes and how it affects women in negotiations
32:37 – Preparing for difficult conversations through visualization
49:45 – Kwame's Compassionate Curiosity framework
1:04:31 – The role of power in difficult conversations and negotiations

For more information, key quotes and links related to this episode, please go to the full show notes at www.meetingstrategist.org/kwame-christian

About this podcast

Welcome to Meeting Strategist. On this podcast, Marcel van de Hoef interviews professionals and thinkers from the worlds of investment, business and arts about their approach to business conversations. You'll hear inspiring stories about impactful meetings, while also learning about the strategies, tactics and mindsets these guests rely on to make meetings more constructive.

Marcel is an Amsterdam-based communication advisor and trainer and the curator of the Meeting Strategist blog. His mission is to help senior professionals think more strategically about meetings, ask better questions, improve their listening skills and have more meaningful conversations in business and life. Learn more and stay up to date at meetingstrategist.org

Next Episode

Nanco Vrijland: Persoonlijk leiderschap in crisistijd [recorded in Dutch]

Nanco Vrijland talks about personal leadership and the power of generosity in times of crisis. Nanco is an executive coach and the founder of Coachcenter in The Hague - a special place for me because this is where I received my training as a professional coach.

In this episode, Nanco shares tips on how to deal with uncertainty and live a more examined life. He also reflects on what the world of leadership could look like when we eventually go back to work.

This conversation was recorded in Dutch. I will soon release a short episode in English to share what I learned from this deeply personal conversation.

To learn more about Nanco's work, check out the links in the show notes: http://www.meetingstrategist.org/nanco-vrijland