A condensed set of slides from Class 8 on Success in my course on The Art of Self-Coaching, Spring 2015 at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

1. The art of
Photo by Seth Anderson [link]
self-coaching
Ed Batista
Class 8: May 22, 2015

2. Class 8
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3. Success
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4. Photo by Alex Eflon [link]
Where are we
Peter Drucker on self-management
Sonja Lyubomirsky on myths
David Foster Wallace on life
going?

5. How will we
Small group discussion
Two coaching conversations
Photo by Chloe Fan [link]
get there?

6. Photo by Theresa Thompson [link]
Concepts + a conversation 30 mins
Concepts + small group 35 mins
Another conversation 20 mins
For next time… 5 mins
Agenda

7. Today’s guiding
spirit

8. Strengths
It takes far more energy and work to improve
from incompetence to mediocrity than it
takes to improve from first-rate performance
to excellence.
~Peter Drucker

9. Growth mindset?
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10. Growth mindset?
Change is always possible…
What’s the opportunity cost?

11. A coaching
conversation
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12. A coaching
conversation
What have you learned about your strengths?
Where are you capable of excellence?

13. Myths
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14. I’ll be happy
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when…

15. I’ll be happy
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when…

16. I’ll be happy
Applicants rejected by the GSB this year: 6,855
when…

17. I’ll be happy
Sonja Lyubomirsky
Why doesn’t success make us happier?
when…

18. Hedonic treadmill
Photo by E’Lisa Campbell [link]

19. Hedonic treadmill
The more we attain, the happier we become.
But the more we attain, the more we want.
~Sonja Lyubomirsky

20. Hedonic treadmill
Two chief explanations: We experience less &
less pleasure over time & our aspirations rise.
~Sonja Lyubomirsky

21. Social
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comparison

22. Social
Those of us who typically rely on our own
internal, objective standards are happiest.
~Sonja Lyubomirsky
comparison

23. Social
Those of us who base our self-evaluations on
comparisons with others are the unhappy ones.
~Sonja Lyubomirsky
comparison

24. Goal
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pursuit

25. Goal pursuit
The critical factor in whether goal pursuit
makes us happy lies in enjoying the journey &
not in realizing the end-goal.
~Sonja Lyubomirsky

26. Aspiration
management
Concrete experiences & observations
Gratitude & appreciation
Goal selection & framing
Values

27. Values
To work in an organization whose value
system is incompatible with one’s own
condemns a person to frustration.
~Peter Drucker

28. A value system
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29. A value system
If you worship money & things, you will never
have enough. Worship your own body &
beauty, you will always feel ugly. Worship
power, you will end up feeling weak & afraid.
~David Foster Wallace

30. A value system
The really important kind of freedom involves
attention, & awareness, & discipline, & effort,
& being able truly to care about other people
& to sacrifice for them, over & over.
~David Foster Wallace

31. Photo by Horia Varlan [link]
In your groups
of 6
How do you manage your aspirations?
How might your values play a role?

32. Photo by Horia Varlan [link]
Debrief
What did you learn?

33. Find your Profl.
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Partner

34. Conditions
Too many people work in ways that are not
their ways... For knowledge workers, How do I
perform? may be an even more important
question than What are my strengths?
~Peter Drucker

35. Another
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conversation

36. Another
conversation
What have you learned about the conditions
under which you do your best work?

37. To sum up
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Success entails shifting to a focus on strengths
Values = Essential in managing aspirations
Saying “No” allows us to say “Yes”

38. For next time…
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39. Class 9
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Endings

40. Class 9
Endings
William Bridges on transitions
Christopher Peterson on life & habits
& an assignment