First Lessons, Lasting InsightsNearly all of us have stories of advice given by the mom or mother figure in our lives. Mom is our first teacher and coach. For those of us who become leaders, teachers, and coaches, her guidance has a special value.In Leadership Lessons for Any Occasion: Stories of Our Mothers, executive coaches and authors Ed and Nila Betof have collected stories from a wide range of leaders, teachers, coaches, and talent development professionals about how their mothers guided their paths to helping others lead resourceful, meaningful lives. Stories have unique power to give us perspective, engage us with the empathetic aspects of coaching and leading, and approach problems from a new angle. This book offers bite-size anecdotes about how a mother's wisdom shapes the lives of leaders, coaches, trainers, and each one of us.Explore these stories as a way to reconnect with your own mother's legacy--or as a source of insight to share with your mentees and learners. Refill your tank of self-reflection, or use this book as inspiration to encourage others to dive deep into their own past and rediscover how their earliest childhood lessons could continue to help them grow today.
About the Author: Ed Betof is a leader, teacher, coach, mentor, and author. He is currently the President of Betof Associates LLC, where he does C-Level executive and leadership team coaching. Ed also serves an executive coach for the Center for Creative Leadership and teaches for the Institute for Management Studies. He retired in 2007 as worldwide vice president of talent management and chief learning officer at Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD). Ed served for nine years as the program director for The Conference Board's Talent and Organization Development Executive Council and was a founding senior fellow and academic director for the doctoral program designed for the preparation of chief learning officers at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author or co-author of five books, including Leaders as Teachers: Unlock the Teaching Potential of Your Company's Best and Brightest (ASTD Press). Nila Betof is chief operating officer of The Leader's Edge/Leaders By Design and has extensive experience coaching executives in the C-Suite through emerging-level talent. She has substantial experience in career development consulting, assessment, leadership development, executive coaching, and organizational change. She is certified in a variety of assessment tools and behavioral interviewing techniques. She is the recipient of the 2011 SmartCOO Award from SmartCEO magazine. The Betofs are co-authors of Just Promoted!: A Twelve-Month Roadmap for Success in Your New Leadership Role. They live in Richboro, PA.