Phil Cole
One Question to Spark Your Learning
As a coach, there is one question I use to spark a client's growth. Learn how to ask this question and overcome your discomfort.
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Phil Cole
- Oct 11
- 3 min
The Story of Vision is So Powerful That... It Can Lead a Group Astray
A well-told story of vision is so powerful that it can make a group break with reality.
Phil Cole
- Sep 20
- 4 min
The Compliment Sandwich Doesn't Work
The compliment sandwich doesn't work. It destroys the value of the compliments and fails to provide effective feedback. Here's what to do.
Phil Cole
- Aug 23
- 3 min
Leadership Shifts the Bounds Of Possibility
Here is an example of a leader who shifted the behavioral options available to her group until they chose personal and group failure.
Phil Cole
- Aug 15
- 2 min
Why Do We Pick Behaviors That Don't Work?
We often pick behaviors that produce results we don’t like, or behaviors that use methods we aren’t comfortable with. Why?
Phil Cole
- Jul 8
- 4 min
Strength Isn’t Leadership. Believing It Is Often Leads to Failure.
A "strong" leader is often an unsuccessful one. Learn what to look for in a leader instead of strength.
Phil Cole
- Jun 28
- 3 min
Leadership is Learned. So is a Lack of Leadership.
People learn to lead poorly in the same manner they learn to lead well. And they get better at leading poorly.
Phil Cole
- Apr 26
- 2 min
Direction is the Beginning of Leadership
Leadership begins with the story of vision. This possible future, and not our personal preferences or desires, is what we lead towards.
Phil Cole
- Apr 22
- 3 min
Power versus the Story of Vision (or, How Leaders Act When They Lack Leadership)
Leadership allows us to change other's behavior. When we lack leadership, we use power to force others to behave in the way that we want.
Phil Cole
- Apr 18
- 2 min
Get on the Floor (Particularly if You Supervise Other Leaders)
You can’t possibly lead if you aren’t on the floor, where you see the functions of leadership and the process of work in action.
Phil Cole
- Apr 7
- 1 min
Life is a Process of Narrowing
Life is a process of narrowing. When we are young, we explore the world. We experience many things, we meet many people, and we begin to...
Phil Cole
- Mar 16
- 2 min
The Four Steps to SOAR Through a Job Interview
Job interviews are hard. The hardest part is often the situational questions, where we demonstrate our capabilities by telling the story...
Phil Cole
- Mar 8
- 4 min
Why Leadership is Learning - A Case Study
This is a case study of a leader who is stuck. Where are you stuck? Because that moment is where you need to learn.
Phil Cole
- Mar 4
- 2 min
"What You Know" Can Still Get You Fired
When we lead, it becomes difficult to separate "what we know" from "who we are". This is when leaders get fired.
Phil Cole
- Feb 22
- 1 min
Growth Requires We See External Limitations
Only when we see the external limitations placed upon us can we understand our full potential.
Phil Cole
- Feb 18
- 3 min
Good Meetings Create Something Valuable (THE LIST: The Art of Gathering)
Every interaction has the possibility of creating value in the world. If you want to lead, learn Priya Parker's methods.
Phil Cole
- Feb 15
- 3 min
Sometimes Chefs Need a Cookbook (REVIEWED: The Best Place To Work)
Sometimes we don't know what behavior a situation requires, even though we see everything else. That's when we need a leadership cookbook.
Phil Cole
- Feb 15
- 3 min
What to Do With Feedback
Feedback is useless without a process to assess and learn from it. Here's how to do this.
Phil Cole
- Feb 10
- 1 min
Learning is Driven by Feelings of Inadequacy
Inadequacy, self-doubt, failure: these feelings allow us to see that we could have performed a task more effectively. Without them, we...
Phil Cole
- Feb 8
- 3 min
Learning Isn't Just In Your Head (THE LIST: Decoding Greatness)
If we try to improve without new ideas, we aren't learning: we are practicing what we already know.