#162 Positive Provocation (with Robert Biswas-Diener)
Description
Robert Biswas-Diener is a researcher, author, and well-known executive coach. His work has taken him all over the globe, studying culture as it relates to well-being. In addition to happiness, he’s researched subjects such as strengths, hospitality, friendship, and leadership. In 2024, Thinkers50 recognized Robert as one of the 50 most influential executive coaches in the world. A prolific author, Robert has penned many best-selling books including Positive Provocation, The Upside of Your Dark Side, and Happiness.
Robert describes Positive Provocation as a love letter to coaching. It includes 25 provocative questions that challenges readers to examine the foundational architecture of coaching. In this episode, he and Andy talk about the importance of learning through reflection, challenging long-held beliefs, and getting curious about asking novel questions that interrogate the world around us and stimulate growth.
"Some Questions You Might Ask" by Mary Oliver
Is the soul solid, like iron?
Or is it tender and breakable, like
the wings of a moth in the beak of the owl?
Who has it, and who doesn’t?
I keep looking around me.
The face of the moose is as sad
as the face of Jesus.
The swan opens her white wings slowly.
In the fall, the black bear carries leaves into the darkness.
One question leads to another.
Does it have a shape? Like an iceberg?
Like the eye of a hummingbird?
Does it have one lung, like the snake and the scallop?
Why should I have it, and not the anteater
who loves her children?
Why should I have it, and not the camel?
Come to think of it, what about the maple trees?
What about the blue iris?
What about all the little stones, sitting alone in the moonlight?
What about roses, and lemons, and their shining leaves?
What about the grass?
Show Notes:
Positive Provocation: 25 Questions to Elevate Your Coaching Practice by Robert Biswas-Diener
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What is your fiercest hope for humanity?
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