EP 121 – Ed Batista, Executive Coach: How “Touchy Feely” Impacts Your Power & Influence

Learn more about Michael Wenderoth, Executive Coach: www.changwenderoth.com

Ed Batista spent fifteen years as Lecturer and Leadership Coach at Stanford Business School, working in and teaching the highly popular course there, Interpersonal Dynamics – also known as “Touchy Feely.” In this episode of 97% Effective, host Michael Wenderoth talks with Ed about the influence that course had on Ed’s coaching – and how course “T-groups” are a powerful laboratory to explore influence. They discuss why needers need to build emotional regulation and how many people confuse force and power – and confuse empathy with needing to be nice. By the end of this episode, you’ll have a deeper understanding of core concepts in touchy feely – and why that doesn’t imply you need to adopt a “touchy feely” leadership style.

SHOW NOTES:

• How the Stanford course Interpersonal Dynamics (aka “Touchy Feely”) has influenced Ed
• A short history on Interpersonal dynamics (Kurt Lewin and “T-groups”)
• A source of power is developing close and connected relationships with people
• Magical black box, artificial setting, or great laboratory for exploring interpersonal communication, influence and power? Michael and Ed debate T-groups
• The benefit of structured reflection
• Ed is not advocating a “touch feely” leadership style – but he does stress the importance of emotional regulation
• Are you willing to understand and explore your feelings?
• Confusing force and power
• Confusing empathy with being nice (or with not holding people accountable)
• The need to understand what another person is feeling
• Michael and Ed discuss empathy vs perspective taking – is the difference a nuance, and does that matter?
• EdBot (the large language model built on Ed’s blog) and Swiss watches
• How should coaches take advantage of AI tools, what differentiates human coaches?
• A man and his dog.. the common connection: Buster (Great Pyrenees mix) is to Ed what and Manchas (Spanish Mastin mix) is to Michael…

 

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.

• Previous episode with Ed and Michael EP120: Power Struggles Among Nice People: https://redcircle.com/shows/86fcd90d-083e-4af2-9bc8-6d52fb981ae1
• Ed’s website and blog: https://www.edbatista.com/about.html
• Kurt Lewin and T-groups: https://www.edbatista.com/2018/06/a-brief-history-of-t-groups.html
• Prof Jeffrey Pfeffer at Stanford: https://jeffreypfeffer.com
• Force isn’t Power: https://www.edbatista.com/2021/03/force-isnt-power.html
• Try out EdBot: https://www.edbatista.com/2025/04/ask-me-anything-anytime-the-ed-bot-20.html
• 8000 Coaching Sessions Reflection: https://www.edbatista.com/2024/05/8000-coaching-sessions.html
• 9000 Hours (Evolution of a Practice): https://www.edbatista.com/2025/03/9000-coaching-sessions-the-evolution-of-a-practice.html
• 97% Effective, Now on video, here: https://www.youtube.com/@97PercentEffective