THE ONE THING

1. When Guide Dogs Disobey: A Quick Lesson on Leading with Integrity

Guide dogs who help blind people go through some of the most sophisticated training.

They need to be smart enough to navigate their owners safely around low-hanging obstacles and narrow paths—routes that a dog can easily pass through but not a human being.

They’re also trained to pause when they come across small steps.

They wait for their owner to acknowledge the minor obstacle before proceeding.

But what if that small step is on the side of a road, and there’s a car speeding toward them in the distance?

In that situation, the guide dog disobeys its owner’s acknowledgment.

It’s a way of saying, “I refuse to move even if you think it’s okay because I can make a better decision here.”

This trait is called “selective disobedience,” and it’s about refusing to carry out instructions, even when forced.

The takeaway

As a leader, use the idea of selective disobedience to always do the right thing when it matters. Make the correct judgment call even if you feel your superiors are pressuring you to do something you’re not comfortable doing.

INSIGHTFUL THOUGHTS

2. Seven Coaching Questions You Can Use (& One to Focus On)

I recently re-read “The Coaching Habit” by Michael Bungay Stanier.

The book covers seven essential questions that leaders can use during their coaching conversations:

1. The Kickstart Question: What’s on your mind?

2. The AWE Question: And what else?

3. The Focus Question: What’s the real challenge here for you?

4. The Foundation Question: What do you want?

5. The Lazy Question: How can I help?

6. The Strategic Question: If you’re saying Yes to this, what are you saying No to?

7. The Learning Question: What was most useful for you?

Each question is discussed in a separate chapter, and Stanier gives a set of best practices and tactics that leaders can use.

All seven questions are important, but question 2 (The AWE Question: “And What Else?“) is a crown jewel among them.

According to Stanier, this question is considered “the best coaching question in the world” because it invites employees to share more options, which leads to better decisions.

The takeaway

Sprinkle “And What Else?” in different conversations with your team members.

You can also use it as a follow-up for any of the other questions.

For example, “And what else is on your mind?” or “And what else is a real challenge for you?”

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WORDS I LIKE

4. On Teamwork vs. Hierarchy

THE 80/20

5. An 80/20 Tip You Can Apply Today

Here’s a low-effort, high-impact tip you can use with your team today:

• What: Be explicit with your requests when communicating with your team.

• Why: You cannot confidently rely on someone to do a task if they’re not 100% clear on what they have to do. Say exactly what you want (and when you want it), and don’t leave requests open to interpretation.

• Example: “We’ll need to get this done in the next few days” is ambiguous and confusing. Instead, try: “I need you, John, to take the lead on completing the first draft of the presentation by Wed, Nov 13 at 2 pm ET so that we can review it together on our staff call that same afternoon.”