780: Moving From Self-Sabotage to Self-Mastery, with Shirzad Chamine

780: Moving From Self-Sabotage to Self-Mastery, with Shirzad Chamine

From Coaching for Leaders by Dave Stachowiak

April 27, 2026 · 39 min · Episode 780

About this episode

Shirzad Chamine discusses how leaders can move from self-sabotage to self-mastery through the concept of Positive Intelligence.

Shirzad Chamine: Positive Intelligence Shirzad has been the CEO of the largest coach training organization in the world. He has lectured on Positive Intelligence at Stanford University and has trained faculty at Stanford and Yale business schools. He is the author of The New York Times bestseller Positive Intelligence: Why Only 20% of Teams and Individuals Achieve Their True Potential and How You Can Achieve Yours ( Amazon , Bookshop )*. By overusing our strengths, they can become our weakness. It’s just one of the many ways that leaders self-sabotage. In this conversation, Shirzad and I explore how to shift from self-sabotage to self-mastery. Key Points Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them. -Henry David Thoreau We are all a mixed bag of Darth Vader (saboteur) and Jedi knight (sage). By overusing a strength, you turn it into a weakness. Rather than attempting to eliminate all our saboteurs, it’s more helpful to be intentional about quieting them down. The four most common saboteurs that show up for leaders are Controller, Stickler, Hyper Achiever, Hyper Rational. Sage perspective: Every outcome or circumstance can be turned into…

People in this episode

Host: Dave Stachowiak

Guest: Shirzad Chamine

Topics covered

  • self-sabotage
  • self-mastery
  • leadership
  • positive intelligence
  • personal development

Keywords

  • self-sabotage
  • self-mastery
  • leadership
  • Positive Intelligence
  • personal development
  • saboteurs
  • sage perspective

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Stanford University, Yale

Books & works: Positive Intelligence: Why Only 20% of Teams and Individuals Achieve Their True Potential and How You Can Achieve Yours

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