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What it takes to be a good coachee

Are you being coached or considering engaging an executive coach? In the video below, PRA founder and Vanderbilt University professor Leonora Zilkha Williamson discusses why preparation is the key to being a good coachee and explains the ‘arch of coaching’ as defined by the International Coaching Federation.  Watch the video below:

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The value of preparation in negotiation

What’s one negotiation hack that works in every situation? Spoiler alert – it’s preparation! In the short video below, PRA founder and Vanderbilt University professor Leonora Zilkha Williamson shares advice on preparing for negotiation by understanding the difference between a position and an interest.  Watch the video below:

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Negotiation: Collaboration, not conflict

PRA founder and Vanderbilt University negotiation professor Leonora Zilkha Williamson frequently speaks and writes about the topic. In the short video below, she reflects on the definition of negotiation and discusses how to leverage your authentic self in situations where conflict is possible. Watch the video below:

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From The Vanderbilt Project on Unity & American Democracy: Tough Conversations

As the calendar turns toward the next election, I think often of a dinner I tried to organize five years ago with two childhood friends (we’re all nearing 50 and spent youthful summers on the beach). The effort failed because of politics. One friend, an ardent liberal, refused to break bread with the other, a lifelong conservative and suspected Trump …

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What coaching is and isn’t

What is the difference between coaching, therapy, advising and mentoring? In the short video below, PRA founder and Vanderbilt University professor Leonora Zilkha Williamson shares differences between each practice and discusses why you should ensure a coach has passed a coach training program before beginning an engagement.  Watch the video below:

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The importance of listening

Have you heard the expression “you have two ears and one mouth for a reason”? PRA founder and Vanderbilt professor Leonora Zilkha Williamson reminds her children, students and clients of this expression when discussing the power of listening.   In the short video below, she explores the importance of using the 2:1 ratio in conversations and what it really means to …

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The Infinite Search for Perfection

Imagine hosting a wedding party with 200+ people and trying to make every single guest happy, expecting that at the end of the party, everyone will say only great things about it. Impossible, right?  In today’s world of consumerism and comparison with others, it is so easy to fall into the ‘perfectionism trap.’ Sure, you can always have more and …

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Founder of Platinum Rule Advisors and Vanderbilt lecturer Leonora Zilkha Williamson named to Forbes Coaches Council

Nashville, Tenn. – April 2022 — Leonora Zilkha Williamson, founder and CEO of Platinum Rule Advisors (PRA) and Vanderbilt University lecturer, has been accepted into Forbes Coaches Council, an invitation-only community for leading business and career coaches.  “We are honored to welcome Leonora into the Forbes community,” said Scott Gerber, founder of Forbes Councils, the collective that includes Forbes Coaches …