Leading with Backbone and Heart with Mary Beth O’Neill

Best of MBS

You’re either born with backbone or heart.

Mary Beth O’Neill is one of my heroes. I spoke with her back in 2011, and it’s a conversation that still resonates today. (Plus it is one of my most popular podcasts from the previous 300 episodes.) She is the author of Executive Coaching with Backbone and Heart and has coached leaders to have a greater impact on their organizations.

Her work is about finding that sweet spot where you can bring both backbone and heart into balance, and be clear about your position but also connected to the people you’re working with. Mary Beth helps leaders build resilience, focus, and engagement.

In this interview, Mary Beth and I discuss:

• How to have and maintain your own signature presence without going through a personality transplant.
• Lessons for corporate executives learned from watching soap opera characters on TV.
• The trick to easily identifying the patterns that are running a working relationship, and how to inspire the people you’re coaching to shift those patterns