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Forward Motion

Whenever I meet another coach – especially new ones in this art – I’m quick to offer any guidance or materials I have that might help them. So many people helped me learn and grow during four careers that I can’t imagine not sharing anything I have with someone.

A few weeks ago I spoke with a person who’s been coaching for a short time, then sent her several redacted documents to use: project agreement, introductory emails, role definitions, feedback report, development plan, progress tracking. The next time we spoke she said: “I can’t believe you did that. Some other coaches I’ve met protect those things like they’re gold.”

I told her that approach doesn’t make sense to me. Operating from a place of abundance just seems like the right thing to do. It solidifies a relationship… and I’ve found it always comes back to me many times over. I gain more than I give.

Right now I’m working on a project that involves something I haven’t done in many years. When I contacted two coaches I’ve mentored for several years and asked for help, they quickly responded: “Of course, whatever you need. I’m there.” 

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Fast Start

When an individual leaves an organization, HR will often conduct an exit interview to learn the primary reasons for their departure. The responses range from ‘it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up’ (heard that from a client just last week), to ‘this isn’t a healthy environment for me’ (heard that from a client just last month). The insights gained from these meetings provide an opportunity for the employee to be heard… and for the company to learn.

There is a new twist on this, recommended by business guru Adam Grant: an entry interview. He posted a LinkedIn video where he proposed they are a great way to make the onboarding experience meaningful. “I’m seeing a lot of CEOs scramble and say, ‘OK, we’ve got to do exit interviews to figure out from the people who actually left what we can do to keep the people we want to stay.’ I’m a big fan of exit interviews–there’s just one little issue; it is the dumbest time to run them. Why would you wait until people have already committed to walk out the door to say, if only I had a time machine, I would go back to the past and convince you to stay?”

While an entry interview for someone you just hired might seem repetitive, Grant believes the answers you receive may be more open and revealing, since people are more relaxed and less concerned about making a good impression. As for questions to ask, he says many of the same ones as the hiring interview are valuable: ‘Why are you here?’ ‘What are you hoping to learn?’ ‘What are some of the best projects you’ve worked on?’ ‘Tell me about the worst boss you’ve ever had.’ So you can try to emulate the good and avoid the bad.”

Next time you hire a new employee, think about conducting an entry interview. You might learn some things that are so valuable you’ll never have to see them in the exit interview queue. 

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Why First

In September 2009, Simon Sinek gave a now legendary 18-minute TED Talk: “How Great Leaders Inspire Action”. It’s one of the five most watched with more than 60 million viewings. A month later he released the bestselling book START WITH WHY.

Soon after, Dr. Gary Sanchez, a dentist who loved the idea of WHY, called him. Simon answered. (He was easier to reach then.) They discussed what’s the way people determine their WHY and how do they communicate it to others. (Simon later revealed that before the TED Talk he would charge friends and acquaintances $100 to help them figure it out.)

That conversation led to Gary, over several years, interviewing more than 1,000 people about the reason they do what they do. He identified nine possible WHYs: Contribute, Trust, Make Sense, Better Way, Right Way, Challenge, Mastery, Clarify, Simplify.

Ultimately, he realized that Simon’s WHY was only the first step. When you add HOW and WHAT – in that specific order – it clarifies the complete picture: your WHY.os – your Operating System. WHY is your driving force, HOW is the way you bring your WHY to life, WHAT is the things others count on from you. 

Wanting to reduce his time commitment for these one-hour conversations, Gary taught himself coding and created an online assessment. (He’s a really smart guy.) Fast-forward to today and he has personally delivered more than 8,000 WHY.os Discovery debriefings. A few years ago, he formed the WHY Institute with a vision to bring WHY.os Discovery to the world. Their mission is ‘to impact one billion people by helping them discover, connect and make decisions.’

A couple months ago, I took the WHY.os Discovery and it tied a lot of things together, including the reason I became a coach 20 years ago and the way I go about life. Within a week Kathy – after reading her own results – and I made the decision WHY.os Discovery would be a valuable tool for our clients. Now I’m certified and look forward to helping them discover how they approach things.

Science Note (As I understand it): Passion and purpose originate in the limbic part of our brain, which involves emotions, feelings and motivations; however, that area doesn’t control language. (Think about when you do something because you relied on your gut. It’s hard to explain your reasoning.) The neocortex is where rational and analytical thought occur. It’s also where language originates. (Think about the last time you purchased something on a whim. Once ‘buyer’s remorse’ set in, it’s likely you did some mental gymnastics to convince yourself it was the right thing.) Your WHY rests in the limbic area. Your HOW and WHAT exist in the neocortex. 

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Last Dance

The NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament begins today with 48 games to be played through Sunday. There once was time I was fascinated by what some see as ‘the best four days on the sports calendar.’ From working the games during my TV career, to later going to Las Vegas a couple of times with friends, to most recently having several TVs going in our living room, I was all in. I’d watch throughout the year, study the matchups and always submit a bracket. Heck… last year I won a pool for the first time.

Yet this season I watched exactly one basketball game: last Saturday’s Big 12 tournament championship final won by my alma mater. What changed? A few things.

First, Kathy and I are working through a list of shows we missed during their first runs, now airing on the various streaming services. I enjoyed Lucifer, Chuck and Billions. We also watch new offerings: Ghosts, So Help Me Todd and, as of this week, the final season of Ted Lasso.

Second, I’m playing a lot of golf for the first time in 30 years… and being on the course at the end of the day – right up until sunset – is relaxing and peaceful.

Third, the antics surrounding the game are out of hand. Bill Self is accused of multiple violations at Kansas? Meh. He cut down the nets a year ago. Chris Beard gets fired at Texas for allegedly assaulting his fiancé in December. No worries. He took a new job this week at Ole Miss. Alabama’s star player and potential NBA lottery pick plays a role in a teammate murdering a young mother sitting in a car. So. He hasn’t missed a game, and two fans supported him by wearing insensitive shirts to last week’s SEC tournament. 

Despite that, like millions of people, I expect to take in a bunch of basketball over the next two weeks leading up to the Final Four here in Houston. Only this time, unlike 2011 and 2016, we won’t be attending those games in person. Unless, of course, a buddy calls at the last minute and offers us tickets. Then, I might just follow the crowd and be a fan again. 

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Let’s Chat

Part I of III

There’s a good chance that during the past 60 days a new phrase entered the realm of your consciousness. Yes, I’m talking about… ChatGPT. It’s all the news. It’s all the rage. It’s all the future. So much that this is likely the last blog I’ll ever need to write. From here on out, it’s simply AI for this writer. I’ll save so much time.

Well, maybe not just yet.

While I am fascinated by what ChatGPT – and other artificial intelligence – could do for our productivity, we’re still in the infant stage. To test this, I asked it to perform four writing tasks from a single prompt. Although it took less than five seconds each time, the results were… well, judge for yourself:

First, ‘Write a 150-word explanation of what ChatGPT does’

“I am an AI language model here to assist users with their tasks and queries. My purpose is to provide useful and accurate information. I can assist with writing, research, language translation and much more. I am constantly learning and updating my knowledge base. I am also programmed to understand and respond to natural language, so users can communicate with me in a conversational manner. I am able to understand the context and meaning behind the users’ words, and respond accordingly. I am always available to assist with any task or question that may arise. I take pride in being able to help users and always strive to improve my abilities. I am here to help and make things easier for users, so don’t hesitate to reach out to me with any task or question you may have.”

Second, ‘Write a 100-word essay about astronauts, like a fourth grader’

‘Astronauts are brave people who go to space in rockets. They wear special suits and helmets to protect them from the cold and lack of air in space. They go on space walks and do experiments to learn more about our universe. They also live in a space station, which is like a big house in space. I think it would be really cool to be an astronaut and go to space one day.’

Third, ‘Write a 50-word answer to ‘Will AI destroy our culture?’

“AI has the potential to change many aspects of our culture, but it is not necessarily something that will destroy it. It can be used to preserve and promote culture through digitization, language translation, and even creating new art forms. However, it’s important to consider the implications of AI on the job market and society as a whole, and to ensure that it is used ethically and responsibly.”

Finally, ‘Write a joke about a golfer and a car’

“Why did the golfer drive his car to the golf course? Because he wanted to be sure he could get a hole-in-one!

Before the first prompt, I received this message: ‘That model is currently overloaded with other requests. You can retry your request, or contact us through our help center at help.openai.com if the error persists.’ I waited 15 minutes and it allowed me in to create.

So, it may take a while for ChatGPT and other initiatives to change your world. Perhaps the most important thing is to make sure your grandchildren don’t end up connected to it by a cable in the back of their necks. Although that might make for a good movie; just not any sequels, please.