 Joanne (not her real name) came into my office looking very unhappy. She managed a team of twelve software engineers using artificial intelligence to help the firm’s customers reduce operating expenses. She reports to the firm’s Chief Operating Officer. I had facilitated a strategic planning session for the COO four months ago and Joanne thought I could help her with her own problem.
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 The strongest predictor of high performing teams is psychological safety. Teams of people that trust one another enough to speak honestly consistently outperform other teams. These team members ask questions, challenge assumptions, request help, and offer new ideas. They’re not afraid to share unpopular opinions and they can debate each other vigorously, knowing they will not hurt the feelings of others because they know how to separate the content of their argument from the personalities involved.
Having high trust internally also impacts customer loyalty because when employees trust each other, they share information freely allowing them to deliver more consistent service and solve the customer problems faster.  In my experience as an executive in a Fortune 50 company, a business owner, and an executive coach, I know that being curious is an essential trait to being successful. In part, because it helps all of us human beings challenge previously held assumptions, allowing us to learn new facts and see new possibilities for taking action.
 Yesterday at breakfast I was talking to two colleagues about how we all use AI. Their faces lit up with excitement as they each described the time it was saving them from repetitive work.
The wealth manager Doug said Claude now built into his email was able to respond in what he described as “his voice.” He always carefully read the text and often edited words, phrases, and punctuation before pressing send. He said Claude is great but not good enough for his company and his clients without his oversight.  Rose was sent to me for coaching by the managing partner of an investment firm because a client had requested that Rose leave the deal team after a particularly contentious meeting. The business owner said Rose had not listened to him when he explained how he wanted his company presented to prospective buyers.
 Brenda (not her real name) was sent to me for coaching by her supervisor Joey. They both worked for a company that supplied precision parts for most major airlines. I was familiar with the company as I had run offsites for their senior team. Brenda supervised a six-person group who was responsible for quality control, a critical step before the parts were sent to customers. Joey told me that lately he noticed that Brenda seemed distracted which had resulted in some of her teammates missing critical defects, even after they had installed AI agents especially designed to help catch flaws.
 Jenna (not her real name) was referred to me by a CEO of a global cyber security firm. She had been with the company from its startup days and now managed a global team in charge of customer service. When we met on Zoom, I could see that Jenna was stressed, yet happy to have her boss’s support to have coaching.
 I was recently talking with Joyce (not her real name), a managing partner of a growing law firm which had an office in LA and Orange County. They specialized in intellectual property, entertainment law, and technology companies. Joyce said her team of 40 lawyers plus support staff were struggling with the changes that were occurring to the firm’s culture, processes, and procedures due to their growth. She asked me for help.
 I was asked to coach new manager Stephanie (not her real name). After a successful career as a salesperson, she had been promoted to manage one of many global sales teams selling AI enhanced CRM systems to Fortune 100 companies.
 Henry (not his real name), a product manager in a software company, was sent to me by his boss for some coaching. Henry had just received a performance review from his manager who had requested input from Henry’s subordinates which is typical today.
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