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97% Effective

EP 120 - Ed Batista, Executive Coach: Power Struggles Among Nice People

02 Jul 2025

Description

Learn more about Michael Wenderoth, Executive Coach: www.changwenderoth.comDo you feel like there's a stark and nasty choice when it comes to power at work: be an arrogant narcissist and win – or a nice guy and lose? Listen as executive coaches Ed Batista and Michael Wenderoth discuss why it doesn’t have to be that way. In this episode of 97% Effective, host Michael Wenderoth chats with Ed about how rising professionals and executives need to expand their thinking about power, and the cost of “opting-out” of power struggles at work. They explore motivational needs theory, ethics, balance – and the need for self-awareness – to make yourself a more effective leader. By the end of this episode, you’ll understand what it means to be on the dance floor and up on the balcony, and leave with a more nuanced understanding of influence and power. SHOW NOTES:Two history majors in college go into corporate careers and then meet at Stanford Business School“You’re talented, but you have some rough edges”: What first drew Ed to Executive CoachingWhy Ed gravitated to 1-1 coachingHow coaching helped Ed: Having influence and impact, but doing so without alienating people.When Ed starts working with clients, how power dynamics shows up and presents itselfHow people can expand their thinking about power and reframe their relationship with itAffiliation, Achievement, Power and Impulse Control – understanding levers that can increase or decrease your ability to influence as a leader, at scalePower vs InfluenceEthics and Opting Out=: “if you abandon the field of power and influence to unethical people, you know what the results are going to be”Finding the balance as a leader: Being directive and relying on personal capabilities vs motivating othersSelf-awareness about your influence goals and behaviors“The dance floor and the balcony”: gaining perspectiveEd’s view on 360 reviews BIO AND LINKS:Ed Batista has been an executive coach since 2006, working with senior leaders who are facing a challenge or would like to be more effective or fulfilled in their roles. He also spent 15 years as a Lecturer and Leadership Coach at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Most of Ed’s clients are technology company CEOs, but he works with leaders in fields from investing to healthcare. Issues he addresses with clients include managing relationships with key employees, improving leadership team dynamics, transitioning from technical expert to leader, evolving company culture, and better self-care. Ed’s work as a coach began after a 15-year career in management, during which he took two years off to earn an MBA at Stanford and helped launch three new organizations. He writes about coaching and related issues at www.edbatista.com. Ed is married to Amy Wright, and they lived in San Francisco from 1990 to 2020, when they relocated to a farm 40 miles north of the city. In addition to his MBA, Ed earned a BA in History, magna cum laude, from Brown University.Ed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edbatista/Ed’s website and blog: https://www.edbatista.com/about.htmlPower Struggles Among Nice People: https://www.edbatista.com/2022/03/power-struggles-among-nice-people.htmlEd’s Coach: The great Mary Ann Huckabay, PhD https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-ann-huckabay-51881011/Prof Jeffrey Pfeffer at Stanford: https://jeffreypfeffer.comDavid McClelland’s’s work on need for power and motivational needs theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Need_for_powerFREE resource: Ways to reconceive and reframe your negative associations with power (PDF visual from Michael’s Book., Get Promoted (Chapter 3, 5 Dangerous Myths That De-rail Careers): https://changwenderoth.com/audiobook-resources/Fun Flashback, April 2016: When Michael and Ed authored the two most popular articles of the month, in Harvard Business Review – https://hbr.org/2016/04/great-leaders-embrace-office-politics and https://hbr.org/2016/04/how-to-not-fight-with-your-spouse-when-you-get-home-from-work97% Effective, Now on video, here: https://www.youtube.com/@97PercentEffectiveMichael’s Award-Winning book, Get Promoted: What Your Really Missing at Work That’s Holding You Back https://tinyurl.com/453txk74Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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