This is a condensed slide deck from my Winter 2020 section of The Art of Self-Coaching at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Course materials are archived at https://www.edbatista.com/the-art-of-self-coaching-course.html

1. The art of
self-coaching
Ed Batista
Class 8: SUCCESS
Winter 2020
“Success Kid” photograph © Laney Griner, used with permission [link]

2. Today’s guiding
spirit

3. Today’s guiding
spirit
Strengths
Values
Working Conditions

4. 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

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

6. More happiness
Image by Public Domain Review [link]
myths…

7. I’ll be happy
Image by Public Domain Review [link]
when…

8. I’ll be happy
Photo by Neotake Murayama [link]
when…

9. I’ll be happy
Applicants rejected by the GSB this year: 6,874
when…

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

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

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

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

14. Hedonic treadmill
Are high achievers doomed?
How do we avoid settling?

15. Social
Photo by debarshiray [link]
comparison

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

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

18. Social
Why might this be a bigger problem post-GSB?
comparison

19. Goal pursuit
© Getty Images

20. Goal pursuit
Source: http://bit.ly/GoalPursuit

21. 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

22. Goal pursuit
But when do we prioritize the journey?
And is now too soon?

23. So what
can we do?

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

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

26. A value system
Photo by Steve Rhodes [link]

27. 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

28. 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

29. A discussion
What am I learning about my values?
How are they influencing my aspirations?

30. Conditions
For knowledge workers, How do I perform?
may be an even more important question than
What are my strengths?
~Peter Drucker

31. Reflect
Under what conditions do I do my best work?
As a result, what might I need to say no to?

32. To sum up
Photo by Pranav Yaddanapudi [link]

33. To sum up
Success may entail focusing on strengths
Managing aspirations will be key
Clarity on values can help

34. For next time…
Photo by Marco Ghitti [link]

35. Endings
Photo by Striatic [link]

36. Endings
William Bridges on transitions
Christopher Peterson on life & habits
Four optional readings for future reference
& some feedback…

37. Photo by dotmatchbox [link]
Feedback

38. Feedback
For both of your partners
The worksheet is a suggestion
Use whatever format works best for you

39. Photo by Basti Hirsch [link]
More feedback

40. More feedback
Course evaluations in Axess
Link at bottom left in Canvas
Wed Mar 11, 8am to Tues Mar 17, Midnight
Your input matters to the school and to me

41. Other items…
Slides posted on my site
One last assignment due Tuesday 9pm
Today’s 1:1s in B206 (the usual location)