David B. Peterson
- Director of Google’s Center of Expertise
David B. Peterson Biography
As Director of Google’s Center of Expertise, David is responsible for innovative, high-impact approaches to develop Google leaders to meet current, emergent, and disruptive challenges. In addition, he coaches senior leaders, leads strategy for Google’s executive coaching programs, and supports other leadership and organization development initiatives, including leading a team on agile organization design for Google’s future needs.
David is honored to be one of the MG100 coaches and the Inaugural EthicalCoaches. He serves on the Advisory Boards of CoachLogix and Executive Development Associates, and as Chief Catalyst and Transformation Officer for 7 Paths Forward. 7PF challenges executive coaches to raise their game and prepare for the rapidly evolving competitive landscape by developing new mindsets and advanced coaching capabilities, as well as engaging them in catalytic experiences with a dynamic learning community of great coaches and professional colleagues. 7PathsForward.com.
Before joining Google in 2011, David served as leader of world-wide coaching services for PDI Ninth House (now Korn Ferry). In addition to coaching top leaders at Salesforce, Sandisk, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Target, Walmart, Shell, Genentech, American Express, Mayo Clinic, Harvard, and Stanford University, he provided consultation and thought leadership on how to design and manage organizational coaching programs, how to develop high potential leaders and critical talent, and how to accelerate learning and leadership development at all levels.
David has published dozens of articles and chapters on coaching, is co-author of Development FIRST: Strategies for Self-Development and Leader as Coach, with over a million copies in print, and co-editor of the Handbook of the Psychology of Coaching and Mentoring.
He earned his PhD in Counseling and Industrial/Organizational Psychology at the University of Minnesota. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Society of Consulting Psychology, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP), and the Harvard Institute of Coaching. His awards include the RHR International Award for Excellence in Consultation (Society of Consulting Psychology), the Outstanding Achievement Award (California Psychological Association), and the Vision of Excellence Award (Harvard Institute of Coaching).
Vikki Brock’s history of coaching (2008, 2012) names David as one of the primary influencers in the field, both for his early influence on the emergence of executive coaching and for continuing to shape the field "on the cutting edge of the profession, doing and saying surprising and thought-provoking things.”
David lives in San Francisco with his wife, Alexis Shoemate, and two adorable Tibetan Terriers named Pinot and Cab.
David B. Peterson
- Director of Google’s Center of Expertise
The DNA of VUCA: Coaching Leaders to Deal with Chaos, Complexity, and Exponential Change
Session length: 45 minutes
VUCA represents the Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity that characterizes the world that today’s leaders are grappling with. But if coaches want to help them thrive in this context, they need to leverage the DNA of VUCA – Diversity, Novelty, and Adversity --- the instruction set that prepares leaders to thrive and be successful in the midst of this swirling complexity and change.
This session will guide coaches through some of the disruptive forces shaping the future of leadership, business, and even executive coaching – such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, bio-monitoring, and advanced wearable devices -- and what they can do to prepare themselves and the leaders they coach to navigate, lead, and innovate successfully in this dynamic, ever-changing world.
Key Learning Takeaways
- Identify the driving forces creating disruption in virtually every area of business today
- List 3 reasons leaders and coaches are not well equipped to learn effectively in a complex rapidly changing world and what they can do to become more agile, adaptive learners.
- Define and implement three high-impact tactics coaches can use to equip leaders to thrive in the face of increasing change and complexity
David B. Peterson
- Director of Google’s Center of Expertise
Panel Discussion: Best Practices For Working With Organizational Coaching Programs: Supporting The Evolving Needs Of Leaders And Organizations
Session length: 45 minutes
Here’s a unique opportunity to hear from leaders of executive coaching and leadership development programs from four innovative, leading edge organizations, all of whom are practicing executive coaches themselves.
They will share their perspectives on the current state of executive coaching, what they look for in hiring executive coaches, and what external coaches can do to add greater value to leaders and their organizations. From an insider perspective, panelists will discuss the best ways an external coach can become a trusted strategic partner rather than just a transactional service provider.
What are the values, mindsets, and behaviors they see in their best coaches? What behaviors might raise a red flag? Where do they see coaches needing to grow in order to support their leaders most effectively on the most difficult and on the most critical emerging leadership challenges they face?
Key Learning Takeaways
- Understand the current state of executive coaching.
- Learn what leaders of executive coaching and leadership development programs look for when hiring executive coaches for their teams
- Discover how to become a trusted strategic partner
David B. Peterson
- Director of Google’s Center of Expertise
Live Coaching Demonstration with David Peterson
Session length: 45 minutes
During this live coaching demonstration, David Peterson will bring on one of his clients and coach them live using his methodologies. Attendees will get the chance to see high-level coaching in action and observe directly how a leading coach can establish trust, listen with complete focus, deeply understand their clients’ needs, ask powerful questions and communicate effectively during a real-life coaching situation.
The first part of the call will be the speaker introducing the client and what methodologies and process they are going to use to coach them. During the second part, the live coaching demonstration will take place. The third part is a debrief of the demonstration for attendees to learn which tools and methodologies the coach used in which context and understand how to create similar results with their own clients, especially when it comes to their coaching presence, listening ability, the power of the questions asked as well as clarity and effectiveness in communication.
The fourth and final part is a Q&A with the audience, helping them to integrate their learnings and gain additional clarity on how to implement their learnings with their own clients.
Key Learning Takeaways
- When to trust your gut and when to be as rational and logical as you can.
- Why seeking and listening to people you disagree with is so important.
- How to avoid subtle but treacherous thinking errors that derail so many “good” decisions.
- How to see around corners so you’re not surprised by unanticipated consequences.
David B. Peterson
- Director of Google’s Center of Expertise
The DNA of VUCA: Coaching Leaders to Deal with Chaos, Complexity, and Exponential Change
Session length: 90 minutes
VUCA represents the Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity that characterizes the world that today’s leaders are grappling with. But if coaches want to help them thrive in this context, they need to leverage the DNA of VUCA – Diversity, Novelty, and Adversity --- the instruction set that prepares leaders to thrive and be successful in the midst of this swirling complexity and change.
This session will guide coaches through some of the disruptive forces shaping the future of leadership, business, and even executive coaching – such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, bio-monitoring, and advanced wearable devices -- and what they can do to prepare themselves and the leaders they coach to navigate, lead, and innovate successfully in this dynamic, ever-changing world.
Key Learning Takeaways
- Identify the driving forces creating disruption in virtually every area of business today
- List 3 reasons leaders and coaches are not well equipped to learn effectively in a complex rapidly changing world and what they can do to become more agile, adaptive learners.
- Define and implement three high-impact tactics coaches can use to equip leaders to thrive in the face of increasing change and complexity