2 leading exec coaches in conversation
November 18, 2023 2023-12-05 9:022 leading exec coaches in conversation
Welcome to the thirty-ninth edition of ‘3-2-1 by Story Rules‘.
A newsletter recommending good examples of storytelling across:
- 3 tweets
- 2 articles, and
- 1 long-form content piece
Let’s dive in.
🐦 3 Tweets of the week
This happens a lot with me too – just the act of writing would throw up a lot of questions about what I thought was a clear structure and content in my mind.
A stunning, out-of-this-world pic!
Beautifully inspiring from Abhinav Bindra.
📄 2 Articles of the week
My favourite of the many pieces after India’s remarkable victory over New Zealand in the 2023 Cricket World Cup semi-final.
What a way to describe the challenge thrown by Williamson and Mitchell, when NZ were chasing:
It had only taken Shami ten balls to remove both openers, but Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell got through the twilight zone that has killed chasing teams at the Wankhede in this World Cup, looked India in the eye and asked if they had the minerals for a knockout game.
Roller uses contrast in the last line to highlight how fortunes can transform in a month:
A month ago, Shami wasn’t in the India team, squeezed out in pursuit of balance; on Thursday, he will travel to Ahmedabad for the final as the leading wicket-taker at the World Cup, with 23 in six games. Another performance like this one, and he may well bring their decade-long wait for a major trophy to an end.
b. ‘Silicon Valley on the couch’ by Malcolm Gladwell
(This is a podcast episode)
Why is Silicon Valley located at Silicon Valley? Ok sorry, why is it in the San Francisco Bay Area?
Because of the weather? Not really. There are places with better weather in the US, and there are tech hubs in places with worse weather (looking at you, Seattle).
Because of Stanford? Nope, it didn’t have its current reputation then… And the East Coast institutions (especially MIT) were more renowned.
Because of who funded William Shockley, the co-inventor of the transistor and the person who chose Silicon Valley as the HQ for his seminal company, Shockley Semiconductor? No, the main funder of that company was based in Pasadena, L.A.
You could call Shockley the father of Silicon Valley, but it was another parent who perhaps had a greater influence on why it was located in the Bay Area.
Listen to this gripping account of Shockley, one of the deeply flawed geniuses of the world who had a seminal impact on the world of technology.
🎧 1 long-form listen of the week
Leading executive coaches, Deepak Jayaraman (also host of the stellar ‘Play to Potential‘ podcast) and Jay Kumar Hariharan have a thought-provoking conversation about personal development for leaders on Jay’s podcast, ‘Stories that Shift’.
Deepak is a deeply thoughtful, soft-spoken, and insightful leader – and a great storyteller! He weaves in anecdotes from his professional and personal life to bring the ideas to life. Check out the stories featuring his mentors at Mckinsey and Egon Zehnder.
His speech is also rich with metaphors (how being a motivational speaker is like giving a missed catch!) and pithy phrases (moving from ‘poaching to coaching’; being a ‘seeker, not a speaker’).
You’ll come away with many memorable and valuable takeaways from the conversation!
That’s all from this week’s edition.
Photo by August de Richelieu
