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To kick off Season 3, Kavitha sits down with longtime Yale SOM Executive Education faculty instructor, fellow podcaster, and faculty director to the forthcoming Certificate in Professional Coaching Program, Dr. Heidi Brooks. Heidi explains why her approach to coaching is grounded in the centrality of relationships, citing a long list of beloved mentors who have shaped the trajectory of her research and work. Together, Heidi and Kavitha unpack the behaviors and habits of skillful coaches, highlighting the importance of reflection, writing, and responsive dialogue that reinforces client agency. In preparing for this first cohort of Exec Ed’s debut coaching-centered program, Heidi makes the case for why in-person interactions continue to be critical to human relationships, and how coaching empowers clients to move forward with confidence and courage in embracing everyday leadership.
Links and Resources
Information on the Certificate in Professional Coaching Program and Yale SOM Executive Education:
Resources Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
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Learning Through Experience Podcast
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The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World by Ron Heifetz, Marty Linsky, and Alexander Grashow
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Forbes’ list of recent articles by Heidi Brooks
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South by Southwest conference homepage
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You and We by Jim Farrell
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Leadership and Self-Deception, by the Arbinger Institute
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”Utopia” by Wisława Szymborska
About Today’s Guest
Heidi Brooks is a Senior Lecturer in Organizational Behavior at the Yale School of Management, where she teaches and advises on the subject of everyday leadership—the micro-moments of impact that shape human experience. She is particularly passionate about creating more courageous communities, especially within organizations. Dr. Brooks specializes in leadership effectiveness, group dynamics, and learning through interpersonal experience.
At Yale SOM, Dr. Brooks has taught Interpersonal Dynamics—one of the school’s most in-demand MBA electives—for over 20 years. She also directs the Program for the Practice of Everyday Leadership (PPEL, pronounced “people”) and hosts the Yale SOM podcast Learning Through Experience.
Dr. Brooks earned her doctorate in psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, and her bachelor’s degree from Brown University. A lifelong experiential learner, she can often be found in classrooms ranging from improvisational theater to tennis to immersion language lessons.