Host: David Kolbe, CEO at Kolbe Corp (Kolbe: 8273)
Guest-at-a-Glance
💡 Name: Bill Isaacs, Founder and President at Dialogos (Kolbe: 6393)
💡 What he does: He helps to shape the field of dialogue-driven leadership and systemic change.
💡 Company: Dialogos
Book: Dialogue: The Art of Thinking Together: https://www.amazon.com/Dialogue-Thinking-Together-William-Isaacs/dp/0385479999
Website: https://www.dialogos.com/
Jaw-Dropping Moments
➡️ When Isaacs explained how “shared ideals” almost always produce the opposite of what people hope for.
➡️ When he said trust isn’t a prerequisite for change — it’s the result of people witnessing each other truly listen.
➡️ The private-equity story where a massively failing company turned the corner in three hours once people finally said the things they hadn’t felt safe to say.
➡️ The 40-40-20 Rule: Only 20% of “questions” people ask are real questions.
➡️ The revelation that people don’t think first and act later — actions emerge from the flow of conversation and relationship.
Key Quotes
💡 “To communicate, you don’t have to agree. If you give up trying to agree and simply work toward understanding. That’s transformational.”
💡 “Trust is an outcome, not an input. It arises when people genuinely endeavor to listen in ways they normally wouldn’t.”
💡 “Most meetings are serial monologues. Dialogue only begins when we suspend our certainty and start to inquire.”
💡 “It takes more time not to have the conversation you need to have.”
💡 “If you’re a hundred percent certain the other guy is the problem, you can count on the fact that you don’t have it right.”
💡 “Leaders are much more likely to be successful if they understand the architecture and wiring of the people they’re leading — including themselves.”
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