Michael Bungay Stanier on Teaching, Coaching, and Becoming a Writer
Intentional Performers
English - May 31, 2023 11:14 - 1 hour - 97.6 MB - ★★★★★ - 56 ratingsSports Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Michael Bungay Stanier helps people know they’re awesome and they’re doing great. He’s best known for The Coaching Habit, the best-selling coaching book of the century and already recognized as a classic. His new book, How to Work with (Almost) Anyone, does what it says on the label. Michael was a Rhodes Scholar and dabbles in the ukulele. He’s Australian, and lives in Toronto, Canada.
Michael had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include:
“There is one part of me that suffers from S.O.S: Shiny Object Syndrome” (9:45).
“I’m good at generating ideas” (10:05).
“I don’t want to be fenced in” (10:20).
“Inspiration is when your past suddenly makes sense” (10:40).
“We unlock our greatness by working on the hard stuff” (11:10).
“I am good creating, and specifically making complicated stuff feel more accessible and practical for people” (18:25).
“I’m good at turning complicated concepts into something people can grasp” (19:05).
“I think it is a choice and a deliberate act to try and stay creative” (23:50).
“I know I have a lot of bad ideas” (28:40).
“You should work under the assumption that most of your ideas aren’t great” (30:10).
“Just putting ideas out into the world is part of the process of getting closer to a good idea” (30:20).
“If you have bad ideas, it means you’re good at ideas because good ideas emerge from conversations of bad ideas” (32:10).
“If you’re getting 60% of the hard decisions right, you are rocking it” (34:00).
“Keep noticing the stuff you should be grateful for” (38:55).
“Part of being a writer is being a great reader” (41:45).
“Writing is the most distinctive expression of me as a teacher” (44:20).
“I have come to know a fair number of people, but I don’t really know many people at all” (56:35).
“For me, the best possible relationship is when it is safe, when it is vital, and also repairable” (1:04:55).
“Talk about how you’ll work together before you talk about what you’ll work on” (1:05:20).
Additionally, you can find Michael’s website here, and also connect with him on Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. You can also purchase Michael’s books, The Coaching Habit; The Advice Trap; How to Begin; and How to Work with (Almost) Anyone anywhere books are sold. Lastly, if you’d like to personally reach out to Michael, you can send him an email ([email protected]).
Thank you so much to Michael for coming on the podcast!
I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers.
Thanks for listening.