Executive Coach Feedback

A story about how Emmett's executive coach gave him direct feedback about his nervous habit during meetings.

"Emmett had this nervous tick where when he's really thinking about something, he would grab his neck where his neck beard was and start to twist it. It was obvious to anybody talking to him - not a normal mannerism. I'd worked there for maybe 9 months and he did it all the time.

Everyone - all his leaders, all his peers - just sat there quietly letting that happen. Then Flo, his executive coach who's amazing and about 80 years old, walked in and said 'Emmy, what do you do with your neck? Put your hand down, sit up straight, say that like a leader.'

His reaction had zero defensiveness. He was like 'Oh yeah, thanks - thank you, that's a gift, thank you for reminding me about that.' This showed how he got better over 16 years - by surrounding himself with people who would literally tell him the truth, when most people were afraid to because he was their boss and the smartest guy in the room."