This document is a syllabus for a self-coaching course taught by Ed Batista at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. The course meets weekly on Fridays from April to June and focuses on helping students continue their personal and professional development after graduation without formal coaching resources. Grades are based on attendance, weekly writing assignments reflecting on course materials and experiences, and a final paper summarizing learning. Each class covers concepts like change, emotions, happiness, resilience, and endings through a mix of lectures, exercises, discussions and coaching conversations.

1. COPYRIGHT ©2015 Ed Batista. All rights reserved. Page 1
The Art of Self-Coaching / OB 527
Spring 2015 Syllabus
Ed Batista
Photo by Seth Anderson
1. CONTACT INFORMATION
Instructor: Ed Batista
Email, phone, and text all work equally well. I’m generally available 8:00am-6:00pm daily.
Faculty Support
2. MEETING TIME AND LOCATION
Fridays, 10:00-11:45am, Zambrano 301 (Z301)
3. SPRING 2015 CLASS SESSIONS
April 3, April 10, April 17, April 24, May 1, May 8, May 15, May 22, May 29
Note that the first session on Friday, April 3 is mandatory. Registered students and students who
hope to come off the wait-list must attend this session to remain in the course.

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4. COURSE OVERVIEW
In 2009 a graduating student told me, "A number of coaching resources here at the GSB have helped me
develop as a person over the last two years. But after I leave school and no longer have access to those
resources, how will I continue to coach myself?"
This course is an attempt to help you answer that question. I define self-coaching as the process of
guiding our own growth and development, particularly through periods of transition, in both the
professional and personal realms. In this course you'll explore a range of practices and disciplines
intended to help you build on what you've learned about yourself over the last two years and continue
that process after graduation.
While this is a self-directed process, it's not a solitary one, and you'll work with classmates in a variety of
configurations (pairs, small groups), so be prepared to discuss meaningful personal issues with your
fellow students.
Classes will consist of a mix of short lectures, exercises, small group discussions, and coaching
conversations in pairs.
5. GRADING
Grades will be determined through attendance, weekly assignments, and a final paper, each discussed in
detail below. This course may be taken Pass/Fail. I will adhere to the GSB’s required class GPA of 3.45,
but I may deviate from the recommended grade distribution.
5.1. Attendance, 30%
Because every class involves extensive interactions with other students, missing a class would
negatively affect those students’ learning. Consequently, any unexcused absences will have a
significant impact on your grade. More than one unexcused absence may result in a U. As noted
above, attendance at the first session on Friday, April 3 is mandatory.
5.2. Weekly Written Assignments, 40%
You’ll submit eight weekly assignments describing your responses to the readings and your
experiences in the course for Classes 2 through 9. Weekly assignments are due Wednesdays at
6:00pm, and the first assignment is due Wednesday, April 8.
There is a 1,000 word limit for each weekly assignment. The content of each weekly assignment
is to be determined by you as an individual. There are no specific questions, prompts, or
requirements.
Submit your weekly assignments via Canvas and use the following naming convention for your
documents: Last Name—First Name –Assignment Number.

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Each assignment will be worth 5% of your overall grade, for a total of 40%. Assignments will be
graded on four criteria, each assessed on a 1-25 point scale, for a total of 100 possible points.
See 5.4. Grading Criteria for details.
5.3. Final Paper, 40%
At the conclusion of the Quarter you’ll submit a final paper via Canvas summarizing your
learning for the entire course. The final paper is due on Wednesday, June 3 at 6:00pm.
There is a 5,000 word limit for the final paper. Similar to the weekly assignments, the content of
the final paper is to be determined you as an individual. There are no specific questions,
prompts, or requirements.
Submit your final paper via Canvas and use the following naming convention for your document:
Last Name—First Name –Final Paper.
This paper will be worth 40% of your overall grade. Similar to the weekly assignments, the final
paper will be graded on four criteria, each assessed on a 1-25 point scale, for a total of 100
possible points. See 5.4. Grading Criteria for details.
5.4. Grading Criteria
All written work will be graded on four criteria, each assessed on a 1-25 point scale:
1. Timely: Points will be deducted for every hour that a weekly assignment or the final paper is
submitted after the deadline has passed.
2. Personal: As the focus of this course is you and your ongoing growth and development,
written work will be assessed on the basis of your ability to discuss how course readings,
materials, and experiences are personally relevant to you as an individual.
3. Conceptual: Written work will also be assessed on the basis of your ability to reference and
interpret various concepts presented in course readings and materials.
4. Well-Crafted: Finally, written work will be assessed on the basis of overall quality, which is
not limited to but will specifically include clarity, cogency, and creativity.
6. CLASS SCHEDULE
Concepts, objectives and readings for each class session are briefly described below. Links are included
where readings are freely available online, and other readings can be downloaded as PDFs from Canvas.
CLASS 1: BEGINNINGS (Friday, April 3, 2015)
Concepts
 Neuroscience of “joyful education” (Judy Willis)

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 Positive psychology
 Coaching as a form of interpersonal support
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.
Readings
 Neuroscience, Joyful Learning and the SCARF Model,
http://www.edbatista.com/2010/05/learning.html (Ed Batista)
 Pursuing the Good Life (Christopher Peterson)
o Chapter 1, pages 3-6: “What Is Positive Psychology, and What Is It Not?”
o Chapter 4, pages 14-17: “Blaming the Science Versus Blaming the Victim”
 How Great Coaches Ask, Listen, and Empathize, https://hbr.org/2015/02/how-great-coaches-
ask-listen-and-empathize (Ed Batista)
 Helping (Edgar Schein)
o Chapter 3, pages 30-47: “The Inequalities and Ambiguities of the Helping Relationship”
o OPTIONAL: Chapter 5, pages 66-84: “Humble Inquiry”
CLASS 2: CHANGE (Friday, April 10, 2015)
Concepts
 Model of change (Kurt Lewin and Edgar Schein), grit (Angela Duckworth), mindset (Carol Dweck),
and the complex effects of goals
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.
Readings
 Why Change is Hard, http://www.edbatista.com/2014/12/why-change-is-hard.html (Ed Batista)
 Blocking and Tackling (Fundamentals of Change), http://www.edbatista.com/2012/01/blocking-
and-tackling.html (Ed Batista)
 True Grit, http://psychologicalscience.org/index.php/publications/observer/2013/april-13/true-
grit.html (Angela Duckworth and Lauren Eskreis-Winkler)

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 Fixed vs. Growth: The Two Basic Mindsets That Shape Our Lives,
http://www.brainpickings.org/2014/01/29/carol-dweck-mindset/ (Maria Popova)
 Babies, Bathwater and Goal-Setting, http://www.edbatista.com/2012/12/babies-bathwater-
and-goal-setting.html (Ed Batista)
CLASS 3: EMOTION (Friday, April 17, 2015)
Concepts
 Emotional style (Richard Davidson)
 Nine prefrontal functions (Daniel Siegel)
Objectives
 Reflect on your Emotional Style and its impact on your life and career.
 Identify strengths to maintain and potential changes to consider.
Readings
 The Emotional Life of Your Brain (Richard Davidson)
o Chapter 1, pages 1-12: “One Brain Does Not Fit All”
o Chapter 3, pages 43-65: “Assessing Your Emotional Style”
 Mindsight (Daniel Siegel)
o Introduction, pages ix-xvi
o Chapter 2, pages 23-44: “Crepes of Wrath: Mindsight Lost and Found”
 Emotional Style Assessment (in Davidson)
 OPTIONAL: The Emotional Life of Your Brain (Richard Davidson)
o Chapter 4, pages 67-90: “The Brain Basis of Emotional Style”
o Chapter 11, pages 225-252: “Rewired, or Neurally Inspired Exercises to Change Your
Emotional Style”
CLASS 4: HAPPINESS (Friday, April 24, 2015)
Concepts
 Sources of happiness (Sonja Lyubomirsky)
 Hedonic adaptation
Objectives
 Understand various sources of happiness as determined by social psychologists.
 Identify “happiness strategies” likely to be most suitable for you.

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 Consider the limitations of current “happiness research.”
Readings
 The How of Happiness (Sonja Lyubomirsky)
o Chapter 1, pages 13-26, “Is It Possible to Become Happier?”
o Chapter 2, pages 27-68, “How Happy Are You and Why?”
o Chapter 3, pages 69-79, “How to Find Happiness Activities That Fit Your Interests, Your
Values, and Your Needs”
 Pursuing the Good Life (Christopher Peterson), Chapter 21, pages 71-74, “Heritability and
Happiness”
 Subjective Happiness Scale and Active-Fit Diagnostic (in Lyubomirsky)
 VIA Survey of Character Strengths, www.viacharacter.org/survey/Account/Register
 OPTIONAL: The Science of Subjective Well-Being (Michael Eid and Randy Larson, editors),
Chapter 24, pages 493-507: “Myths in the Science of Happiness” (Ed Diener)
CLASS 5: RESILIENCE (Friday, May 1, 2015)
Concepts
 Components of resilience and Resilience Quotient (Karen Reivich and Andrew Shatté)
 Neurological sources of resilience (Linda Graham)
Objectives
 Determine your Resilience Quotient.
 Identify current sources of resilience as well more effective ways of coping with setbacks.
Readings
 The Resilience Factor (Karen Reivich and Andrew Shatté)
o Chapter 1, pages 9-30, “Resilience Matters”
o Chapter 2, pages 31-47, “How Resilient Are You?”
o Chapter 3, pages 48-62, “Laying the Groundwork”
 Bouncing Back (Linda Graham), Chapter 2, pages 29-45, “How the Wiring In of Resilience Can Go
Awry”
 Resilience Quotient Assessment (in Reivich and Shatté)

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CLASS 6: VULNERABILITY (Friday, May 8, 2015)
Concepts
 Definitions of vulnerability and shame (Brené Brown)
Objectives
 Consider strategies for expressing vulnerability and overcoming shame effectively.
Readings
 Daring Greatly (Brené Brown)
o Chapter 2, pages 33-56, “Debunking the Vulnerability Myths”
o Chapter 3, pages 59-111, “Understanding and Combating Shame”
 OPTIONAL: Brené Brown, Vulnerability, Empathy and Leadership,
http://www.edbatista.com/2014/08/brene-brown-vulnerability-empathy-and-leadership.html
(Ed Batista)
CLASS 7: UNHAPPINESS (Friday, May 15, 2015)
Concepts
 Stoicism (Oliver Burkeman), Buddhist thought (Pema Chödrön), and Logotherapy (Viktor Frankl)
Objectives
 Consider a range of approaches to dealing with setbacks and difficulties.
Readings
 The Antidote (Oliver Burkeman)
o Chapter 2, pages 23-50, “What Would Seneca Do?”
o Note that because of limits on the use of copyrighted materials, I’m unable to use
Chapter 3, pages 51-74, “The Storm Before the Calm,” but I highly recommend it.
 When Things Fall Apart (Pema Chödrön)
o Chapter 2, pages 6-11, “When Things Fall Apart”
o Chapter 11, pages 65-72, “Nonaggression and the Four Maras”
o Chapter 21, pages 137-142, “Reversing the Wheel of Samsara”
 David Foster Wallace on Life and Work,
http://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB122178211966454607 (David Foster Wallace)
 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"

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CLASS 8: SUCCESS (Friday, May 22, 2015)
Concepts
 Popular beliefs about success, fulfillment, and happiness, and sources of social comparison
Objectives
 Prepare for the challenges that accompany professional struggles and success.
Readings
 The Myths of Happiness (Sonja Lyubomirsky)
o Chapter 5, pages 115-143, “I’ll Be Happy When…I Find the Right Job”
o Chapter 7, pages 163-181, “I’ll Be Happy When…I’m Rich”
 Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)
CLASS 9: ENDINGS (Friday, May 29, 2015)
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.
Readings
 William Bridges on Transitions, http://www.edbatista.com/2008/08/transitions.html (Ed Batista)
 Transitions (William Bridges)
o Chapter 4 (excerpt), pages 77-92, “Transitions in the Work Life”
 Pursuing the Good Life (Christopher Peterson)
o Chapter 88, pages 289-290, “Days Are Long—Life Is Short”
o Chapter 89, pages 291-294, “I Resolve to Take Benjamin Franklin Seriously”
 OPTIONAL: Transitions (William Bridges)
o Chapter 4 (excerpt), pages 93-100, “Transitions in the Work Life”
o Chapter 5 (excerpt), pages 107-123: “Endings”
o Chapter 6, pages 133-155: “The Neutral Zone”
 OPTIONAL: A Checklist for Someone About to Take on a Tougher Job,
https://hbr.org/2015/01/a-checklist-for-someone-about-to-take-on-a-tougher-job (Ed Batista)