Ed Batista

Bio

I’m an executive coach and a Lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. At the GSB I teach courses aimed at helping MBA students better manage themselves and further develop their leadership and interpersonal skills. 

I teach two sections of The Art of Self-Coaching (OB527), a course that I designed and launched in 2015. The course aims to help professionals and aspiring leaders be more intentional in managing their continued growth and development. I also teach a section of Interpersonal Dynamics (OB374), the school’s most popular elective and known to most students as Touchy Feely. 

From 2007 to 2016 at the GSB I provided individual coaching and led teams in the Arbuckle Leadership Fellows Program and taught sections of Leadership Labs, both of which I helped to launch in 2007. During that time I also facilitated groups in Interpersonal Dynamics, a role that I continue to play during the course’s weekend retreats. 

As an executive coach I work with senior leaders who are facing a challenge or would like to be more effective or fulfilled in their roles. Most of my clients are technology company CEOs, and I’ve worked with leaders in fields from accounting to investing to the law. I see most clients in person in San Francisco, and I work virtually with others across and outside the U.S. Issues I often address with clients include managing relationships with key employees and others, improving exec team dynamics, transitioning from technical expert to leader, evolving company culture, and better self-care. 

My work as a coach began after a 15-year career in management, during which I took two years off to attend the GSB and helped launch three new organizations. I write about coaching and professional development at edbatista.com and at HBR.org. I’m a co-author of the HBR Guides to Coaching Employees and Delivering Effective Feedback, and I’m currently writing a book on self-coaching for HBR Press. 

I’m married to Amy Wright, and we’ve lived in San Francisco since 1990. In addition to my MBA from Stanford, I earned a BA in History, magna cum laude, from Brown University.

Teaching

Degree Courses

2017-18

OB 527: The Art of Self-Coaching

In 2009 a student who was about to graduate said to me, "Being coached at the GSB helped me grow over the last two years, but after I leave school and no longer have access to these resources, how will I continue to coach myself?" This course is...

2016-17

OB 374: Interpersonal Dynamics

PRE-QUALIFICATION IS REQUIRED BY THE DEADLINE (APPROXIMATELY FIVE WEEKS BEFORE THE QUARTER BEGINS). The focus of this course is to increase one''s competencies in building more effective relationships. Learning is primarily through feedback from...

OB 527: The Art of Self-Coaching

In 2009 a student who was about to graduate said to me, "Being coached at the GSB helped me grow over the last two years, but after I leave school and no longer have access to these resources, how will I continue to coach myself?"nnThis course is...