Michael Bungay Stanier is an Oxford graduate and author of the wildly popular book, The Coaching Habit. He is a champion of curiosity that believes the advice we so eagerly give is not nearly as good as we think it is.

Michael founded Box of Crayons, a company that helps organizations transform from advice-driven to curiosity-led. His mission is to help shape how organizations around the world make being coach-like an essential leadership behavior.

Quoting author Daniel Goleman, Michael kicks things off by stating there are six different styles of leadership, and that really great leaders know how to use all six at the right time and right moment.

Coaching is one of these leadership styles, but it is wildly underutilized. Ironically, a coaching leadership style has a direct correlation to profitability, engagement, and even shaping the company culture. So why is this leadership style lagging behind the other five?

Leaders just can’t seem to find the time to coach their team members. This is where Michael comes in. He wants to make coaching a fast and unfamiliar leadership style for companies to adopt.

Since it’s release, The Coaching Habit has sold over 800,000 copies and has amassed hundreds of thousands of 4 and 5-star reviews on Amazon. And with his company, Box of Crayons, Michael incorporates some of the tactics laid out in the book, as well as new coaching methods, to companies small and large.

Michael explains why he’s not an advice-giver, and why giving advice to others can actually be counterproductive. While people who give advice tend to mean well, most people don’t want to be given advice, especially when it comes to their company.

Chris and Michael’s conversation is supremely rich with insight and tactics, and we hope you’ll finish this episode better equipped to navigate life.